Defying Destiny
by Carly the Llama
Summary: Fifth and final installment in the Worldbender series. Summary inside because it's too long. Placeholder cover.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Kahu's gone, but that doesn't mean this family is anywhere near recovered and normal.**

**Felix, forced into a loveless abusive relationship, has turned to self-destructive and dangerous methods to get away from being forced to say his vows. Helping him cope safely are his best friends Kaylee and Hatsune, and his sort of sister-in-law, Kyra, who might have her own agenda.**

**Eden has been sent away to get herself together and truly recover after what happened at the hands of Vita, traveling to the Kingdom of Zariya with Sam and assisting newly crowned Queen Liana in ruling a kingdom (and being alive in general).**

**Meanwhile, the stone wielders face their own challenge in the form of Alexa's lost father, Dorian. With Psychic Jared unknowingly becoming the madman's puppet the longer he reads a false book of prophecies, he must figure out how to prevent the future he reads of, even if it means taking in young Amhar Darbonne as his own. Quantic Jared and Alexa handle their own shortcomings and confidence issues. Hana and Kagami just want to know what the hell is going on, but this isn't the Worldbender series if people don't get dragged into other people's bullshit.**

**Joselyn, newly found after three years in search of Liliana Vess, needs to hold onto the teachings of Gideon and work to keep improving herself, finding unexpected support in the form of Rhydian and his band of Outcasts.**

**With the threat of Dorian, their most deranged and dangerous villain yet—since he would rather go for the kill than monologue them to death—the entire family has to come together for one final fight that will determine the fate of the Multiverse, and hopefully defy a dark destiny once and for all.**

OoOoO

**Chapter 1: The Princess Bride (more or less)**

After the initial system shock of the Phoenix eye on his wrist, Felix was content staring out the window. It only drained his energy, since his power came from his grace and not an internal fire like most magic wielders. So if he wanted to, he could smite his kidnappers and get away. But then where would he go? He couldn't fly, so he would just be floating around aimlessly.

He looked to where his cellphone had been confiscated along with other random things. He didn't care all that much, but then noticed his phone started ringing loudly. The leader picked up the phone, trying and failing to make it stop. Felix smirked,

"Do you need help?" He taunted, looking out at the Lanes Between. The leader glared at him,

"Don't be so cocky. I'm the one in charge here." The phone continued ringing, "How do you make this thing stop?!"

"By answering the call." Through his powers, he was hiding the hang-up button, which was oddly satisfying watching this human be frustrated. Maybe since he was the prisoner here. All three were humans, he could tell. "What's your name?" He found himself asking, "It's been three hours, and I find myself curious." Perhaps he had a death wish, but he was curious and had still inherited some sass from his mother, which meant he could always make his captor's life hell if he wanted.

"Kate." She spat at him before answering the phone, "Hello?" Judging by her expression, it was his mother promising bloody murder if Felix wasn't released immediately, also bringing up there was a tracker on the phone.

The giant, Shamus, came down from the main section of the ship, "Boss, we have a problem." Kate looked to where Shamus was pointing, and Felix grinned at the sight of a familiar ship.

"I knew she'd come for me." Felix smiled, muttering this to himself just loudly enough that the trio of kidnappers heard. Kyra had explained that she was only using actual criminals for hire, so he was okay with scaring them.

"Probably just another traveler," Kate shrugged off, noticing Felix's expression, "What are you thinking right now? That your dearest love will save you?"

"I never said she was my dearest love," Felix snapped, knowing Kate was referring to Amaya, and even if she was talking about Kaylee, this still applied, "But yes, she will save me, that I know."

After about another hour of the ship following them, Felix could actually see Kaylee, and her expression showed she was trying to find out how to take down the ship without killing him in the process since he wouldn't be able to get out of a burning ship.

The warrior, Gavra, grabbed Felix by the wrists, digging the spiked cuff deeper in. On instinct, Felix yelped, and the whole ship crash-landed at the bottom of the cliff.

Kate got out of the rubble, "What the hell was that?!" Felix shrugged,

"Don't know." He then took a step back towards the water as Kate pulled out an angel blade,

"I'm saving this for our destination since I don't want to carry a corpse, but one more stunt like that will have this slitting your throat." She slammed a second Phoenix eye cuff on him, and Felix fell slack in the giant's arms and felt himself get tied to the man as Shamus climbed up a rope, carrying all three of them.

Felix looked down and saw Kaylee down below, taking a second to make sure he wasn't still stuck in the wreckage. She then saw him being carried up the cliff face and grabbed onto the rope as well, starting the climb up it.

"Oh my god," Gavra exhaled, "She's climbing. This isn't Amaya Sardothien."

"Nope." Felix sent them all a grin, "That's my dear friend, the greatest warrior in the multiverse."

"Shit." Kate muttered, before turning to Shamus, "Go faster, buffoon! I need to cut the rope once we reach the top, and she is gaining on us."

"Well yeah," Shamus mused, "There's four of us and one of her. And the Nephilim's wings are heavy." Kate then got out the angel blade to go for Felix's wings, only for said Nephilim to scream loudly, forcing her to cover her ears. Shamus, who hadn't let go of the rope, now had blood trickling from his eardrums.

Felix waved down at Kaylee, "I'm fine, other than the Phoenix eyes on my wrist!" He felt a bought of fatigue, needing to close his eyes. Since he couldn't fly, it would be suicide to jump off, no matter how tempting.

They made it to the top, with Kaylee not far behind. Kate scrambled to cut the rope to the top, but Felix used his power to make sure that even if Kaylee fell, it wouldn't kill her.

Kate and Shamus grabbed him and ran, leaving Gavra to dispose of Kaylee. Felix knew that the warrior would mean nothing to her, and she'd get past him without issue.

With the giant running, they got a reasonable distance before they saw Kaylee chasing after them, guns at the ready. Kate forced Shamus to be the new obstacle and continued running with Felix.

Kate then pulled out a pouch, "Horse!" A horse attached to a prison cart appeared. She quickly put anti-magic wards on it and threw Felix in, moving fast.

Kate had forced the horse into a slow gallop. The cart wouldn't be able to handle much stress; she didn't care if Felix was banged up though.

After a long while, she looked back and saw the woman far off, but not too far off, meaning she had just defeated the giant. Kate had crossed into Ashara territory about an hour before, so now she could stop wherever she liked. She found an old, abandoned tomb not too far from the road and directed the horse over to it. She had a plan to get rid of this woman herself. After all, if you want someone dead, you have to do it yourself.

She tied the horses to a tree and unharnessed the one from the cart. She picked up Felix and carried him inside the tomb, laying him down still tied up in the largest room, making sure to gag him and keep the angel blade floating around his throat to ensure he didn't try anything.

She was going to take this woman down with magic. Kate was guessing the woman had some, at least, since no one could defeat Gavra or Shamus without it. But Kate's skills were well-developed; simple, but few could best her. The plan made her smile viciously.

Kate only had to wait about twenty minutes before the woman stepped into the large room, and Kate almost gasped at the human girl wearing Okte leathers. Though she could also be a witch.

"Hello there, who might you be?" Kate asked.

"That is none of your concern," Kaylee answered, her voice young yet menacing.

"Oh, I think it is. See, you're trying to kidnap what I've rightfully stolen," Kate gestured to Felix, "and I can't have that."

"The Prince is not some piece of chattel to be traded or stolen." Kaylee snapped, pulling out two guns.

"No, he's worth a lot more than that, isn't he?" Kaylee grimaced a little at Kate's words, "If you want him, you're going to have to duel me for him. No, not with weapons, with magic. You do have magic, don't you?"

"I might." She still didn't put down her guns.

"You bested my swordsman, which means you're very clever. You also bested my giant, which means you're strong. But defeating them isn't easy; you probably had to use a little something extra, didn't you?"

"No, not particularly." Kaylee crossed her arms, still holding the guns, looking down at her outfit, "I was told these sent a message."

Kate smirked, "We will duel with magic. The winner gets the Prince. Agreed?"

"I'll defeat you and take him away." Kaylee said, "Now if you don't mind, could we get this over with?" She then looked in Felix's blindfolded and gagged direction, "Don't worry Felix, we'll be leaving soon."

No longer humoring the kidnapper, Kaylee shot Kate in the head. Instant death. She then ran for Felix, tearing off the enchanted chains, gag and blindfold.

Kaylee looked at the Phoenix eye cuffs on Felix's wrists, and how the fatigue had taken its toll. He saw her analytical power activate, and then she went over to Kate's corpse, grabbing a key to unlock them.

Blood immediately poured out of his wrists since the spikes had hit an artery. But since he was a Nephilim, it healed over quickly; but did leave scars.

Kaylee stood then and helped him up. They dusted themselves off as they left the tomb and looked at each other. "Now what?" He asked, "And thanks for the rescue." She smiled brightly, much more like the girl he knew,

"No problem. It wasn't hard, just try not to get yourself into trouble."

"Well...seeing as this kidnapping was staged as a way to avoid the marriage via our bargain hopefully increasing, and there will be more in the future..." Kaylee froze, shaking with rage for a second, before punching him in the nose.

"Seriously?! You could have warned me! Are you saying you were in no actual danger and I was terrified for you for nothing?!"

"Not for nothing. I actually was in danger, more so than expected with that angel blade. I would have warned you if I could get in contact with you outside of bargain time."

"Okay, that makes more sense. So I should just know for future reference that the kidnappings are a way of getting out of being a husband."

"Pretty much."

OoOoO

A couple of hours after they'd discovered the sword-fight's evidence, Amaya and Zoe found evidence of another scuffle. They'd crested a hill overlooking Ashara territory and saw unusual prints in the dirt. The only reason Zoe was here was because while she had faith in Kaylee being able to bring Felix home, Amaya couldn't know that. Her not going after her kidnapped son would cause suspicion.

Valeria determined this had been a hand-to-hand fight. The winner had continued down the road. After a short discussion, they decided to keep following the winner and the one person who still had Felix.

Shortly after they crossed the border, they found evidence that a horse with a cart had left the road, toward an old tomb. So they too left the road and headed toward the tomb.

Once they got closer, they saw said horse and cart just outside. They also noted the tomb had partially collapsed. The entrance was impassable. Valeria dismounted to investigate what she could from the prints left outside. She concluded three people had gone inside, but only two had come out.

_Please not Felix, _Zoe thought. When she looked at Amaya, she could tell the heir felt the same way. Felix may not love her, but she still cared.

After Valeria continued walking, they followed the direction she pointed out—the way the survivors had gone, and Zoe shifted into Stardust to help her leg. That trail led off the road, leading to a forest called the Perilous Woods. Even Zoe had heard of the forest and its dangers. No one survived once they'd gone into the forest. Amaya told Zoe that the Perilous Woods lay at the bottom of a steep hill. It wouldn't take them long to get there.

OoOoO

Kaylee and Felix reached a steep hill overlooking the Perilous Woods. It was the quickest, but not safest, way to a city that could help them out, since her ship had run out of fuel. She had the teleporter which would take them right back to the cabin, but they were deciding to take advantage of being in another coven's territory, to hopefully find a safe way out of the marriage.

"You're sure that's the best way?" Felix asked.

"Yes. But we're being followed, and I don't want you to get taken by someone worse. And looking at you, I'm debating if Amaya is worse." Felix was still too tired to deny that. But being with Kaylee made him feel safe, much safer than with the Sardothien coven. He knew Kaylee and Hatsune would get along especially since Kaylee couldn't give a damn about propriety.

Just then they heard a shrill cry. They'd been so absorbed in their conversation they didn't notice how far they'd gotten into the Perilous Woods. Well, Kaylee had probably noticed, but not sensed a threat until now.

"What do I need to expect?" Felix looked around, "I've heard about creatures here, and about quicksand and acid geysers."

"We'll just keep our eyes open." Kaylee shrugged as they walked, "If we get to the city successfully, maybe we can find a coven actually willing to find a legal reason you can't be forced to marry Amaya."

There was a rustling nearby, and something long fell toward them from the trees behind them. Kaylee instinctively pulled them out of the way. The long thing flew back toward the trees, but something came skittering out—a giant scorpion.

"A serket, great," Kaylee moaned. The serket's tail swung at them again, and Kaylee met it with a sword she pulled out of her pocket, which was initially just a pen. "There's really only one way to kill these things. Do you remember how to summon fire? Or have you been forced into the role of submissive fiancé too long." She forced the tail away and quickly jumped back.

"I know how!" He yelled as Kaylee ran to stand by him. With a flash of his eyes, the serket shrieked as it caught fire. It thrashed wildly, and Kaylee pulled Felix back into the trees to avoid it. They watched it, both subconsciously wanting to make sure it died. When it was no more than a lump on the ground, Kaylee walked out and poked it with the sword. The carcass crumbled and they both laughed.

A sudden hissing sound made them pause, and something shot from the ground at high speed.

Kaylee yanked Felix forward, but not before the acid geyser spurted onto Felix's leg. He screamed in surprise while Kaylee immediately dug into a bag for something to help ease the pain.

Kaylee draped his arm around her shoulder, watching as his power tried to combat the acid, which led to a constant cycle of pain as it healed and unhealed.

They'd made it several yards before Felix felt like speaking again, once Kaylee had bound his leg. "Well, I suppose we only have to worry about quicksand now," he commented. He smiled weakly as she helped him keep walking, also protecting his wings, "Kaylee?"

"Hmm?"

"Let's never come here again."

"I agree."

By now it was close to nightfall. They moved quickly, watching out for more hazards, and found a spot to camp for the night. They sat, and Kaylee was able to set the campfire without moving Felix from her arms.

She caught a rabbit for dinner, which was quickly devoured as neither had eaten all day. They were exhausted, so they curled up back to back and fell into a deep sleep, Felix's feeble wings wrapping around them.

OoOoO

Stardust and Amaya's small group stopped for the night on the other side of the Perilous Woods. Amaya had explained this spot was the only other place where the forest wasn't impenetrable.

Stardust stared into the forest while Amaya's guards set up camp. She'd heard of the dangers and hoped Felix had made it through without encountering any. And she hoped the person with him was Kaylee rather than a foe.

Amaya soon called her to the campfire, where they ate and talked for a bit before retiring for the night.

OoOoO

Felix woke in the morning, feeling more refreshed than he had in a long time, other than the pain in his leg. He hadn't had a nightmare all night, probably due to Kaylee's presence. He gasped quietly as he realized he had wrapped her in his wings like a blanket.

Several minutes later, Kaylee woke. It took her a few minutes to understand the position she'd shifted into and turned away, "Felix? We need to get going soon." She changed the loose bandages on his leg, helping him walk.

After an hour or so, the trees began thinning. More sunlight filtered in; it was enough to see their way and easily avoid the geysers and quicksand. A few more minutes and they could see the edge of the forest and witches were wearing silver on the other side.

"Who do you think they are? Allies or..." Felix whispered as they came to a stop to stare out.

"Could be anyone, but we won't know until we go out there," Kaylee replied.

"All right. Here goes nothing." They walked out together to find Amaya, Zoe and several of Valeria's guards.

The guards drew their swords, but Amaya hissed, and the swords were re-sheathed. Zoe, once again Stardust, and Amaya ran toward the disheveled pair.

"Felix!" Amaya exclaimed.

"Kaylee!" Stardust yelled, pretending to be scared, "It was you we've been following?"

Amaya looked at Kaylee and Felix in succession, finally noticing their joined hands. "Do you two need any medical attention?" She then saw Felix's leg, "Felix! We must return home as soon as possible." She looked at Kaylee. "Thank you for rescuing Prince Felix." She turned away to speak to the guards and her mother. "Pack up. We're returning home."

"Oh, I don't think so." Kaylee's demeanor changed to smug death lord, "Do you not remember the context of my first bargain with dear Felix? Three days in exchange for a rescue. But six days will be hard to keep track of... so I am bumping it up to a week." Their matching tattoos glowed to alter the bargain, changing it from three to seven.

"NO!" Amaya jumped down, ready to go for the kill, as Kaylee and Felix vanished into thin air.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing**

On Zhisfire, Quantic Jared was glad he had packed a jacket since this world was one of an endless winter. Children apparently skated on the lake and sang songs all months of the year. He had the hood of a cloak up, both to fit in with the less modern setting, and to hide his face, so he didn't get worshipped.

Alexa seemed perfectly comfortable in this setting, wearing her usual attire as though the cold didn't bother her at all, though she was usually always wearing a couple layers, so that could be it.

"Hello." The bartender greeted, "Can I get you and your friend anything?" Alexa held up some money,

"Anything you can tell us about Dorian Nanami." Almost like out of a movie, everyone in the tavern stopped in their tracks, starting at the newcomers, terrified.

"D-Dorian Nanami?" The bartender asked, "Please tell me he doesn't want anything, I have nothing he would like." Jared frowned,

"So, you know him?"

"Know him? We call him chaos incarnate around here. He lives in a home in the mountain about a mile north. But be careful if you're looking for him. He's insane, and a cave's the best place for him." He saw Alexa seethe, twitching her hand towards Truth-Teller. He had to hold her wrist assuringly to keep her from stabbing the bartender for more info and then burning him to a crisp with the spell. She relaxed at his touch, and handed the bartender some money,

"Thank you." As they left the tavern, Jared pulling his cloak tighter shut at the glances he was getting.

"Relax," Alexa whispered in his ear, "I put a glamour over you in here. They won't recognize you."

"Thanks." They started the trek to the mountain, and Jared felt himself shift into his newfound Fae form. All the stone wielders were in different levels of developed with their powers, and since he had walked up thirteen flights of stairs worth of being exposed to the stone, he had the Fae shift. He would have preferred elven, but it did come in handy for situations such as this. Kagami had this form too, but Hana didn't—though she had a demon form and shadow charmer powers, so it was only fair she didn't get a new form.

As they walked, Alexa was fidgeting the closer they got to the candlelit windows above. "Alexa, you okay?"

"Yeah. Just nerves getting to me. What do I say to him? It's been over ten years, what if he doesn't recognize me?"

"I'm sure everything will be fine. From what I understand, he's probably schizophrenic or some variation thereof and needs the help. Even if he doesn't want it initially, he'll understand." She chuckled,

"You're right." They found themselves at the door, and she hesitated before knocking.

Jared found himself face to face with Alexa's father.

Dorian was the same height as Jared, 6'4, and lean with only a bit of muscle noticeable under his grey sweater. Like all stone wielders, he had delicately pointed ears. His pale skin was seemingly tan once upon a time. He was ruggedly handsome, with black hair, dark brown at certain angles, with citrine streaks running through it, and his eyes were the same swirling as in the picture, only it wasn't black and white, now a silver color like a whirlpool. Jared wasn't sure if he was seeing things, but it also looked like the veins on the left side of his neck were black.

"Hello," Dorian said softly, "Who are you?" He seemed reasonable, if not a little tired. He looked out at the snow, "Oh, come on in before you catch your death." He let them in, helping them take off their jackets and shoes.

"Thank you, sir," Jared said, noticing Dorian was dishing up two more meals. Looking around, the place was neat, with decorative boxes against one wall, and an ancient book and a sketchbook out by the fireplace. Nothing like the madman the bartender had described, who was better off in a cave.

"It's just stew." Dorian mused, "I wasn't expecting company." They both sat down, and Alexa was unusually quiet, eating quietly with a nod of thanks.

They sat and ate, and Jared could see a facade dropping, and Dorian looked slightly uncomfortable. "So I assume there's a reason you came out to find me." Dorian mused, "Nobody comes up here, I only go down there for drinks and such."

"Does the name Alexandrina Nanami mean anything to you?" Alexa asked, and Jared was momentarily taken aback by her use of her full name.

"Not particularly," Dorian answered, "But I lost my memory little over fifteen years ago, and now everything about my past life is scattered—only bits and pieces I know now. Should I know that name?" Jared saw Alexa tense but then relax. He supposed that Dorian having lost his memory was a good thing since it gave him a legit reason to have not gone back home now that he seemed better.

"She's your eldest daughter," Alexa said, "Sixteen years ago, you had a breakdown and ran out." Dorian stiffened, massaging his temples,

"Who are you?"

That sent Alexa over the edge a little, seeing he didn't remember her, "Who am I? Who am I?! What are you even saying?!"

"I'm Jared," Jared said, interrupting her, "And as you can probably guess, that's your daughter, Alexa."

Dorian got up from the table, picking up his sketchbook, examining the image on it. Jared watched something snap within the older man, and when that calm expression turned into something dangerous with a cruel smile, Jared knew he was in trouble.

"Jared Cursebreaker..." he laughed in a Joker-esque fashion, discarding the sketchbook, and Jared gasped when he saw it was a picture of the stone wielders the way nobody had seen them—the way they were now. Only Psychic Jared was tied to puppet strings. Since he had a photographic memory, he would be able to describe this to the others, that Dorian might be a problem.

"There are two Jareds..." He muttered bitterly, "Cursebreaker is the other one." He was okay with his Other being the Cursebreaker since he himself didn't want to be, but the constant being shadowed had gotten old.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Dorian snapped, "I've had those little stories around the multiverse _on loop_! Oh, I just _love_ that part, where six children become worshipped as heroes when they're actually a bunch... of... _nobodies_!" He pulled a pen out of his pocket, and Jared watched as it turned into a wicked scythe, and he immediately jumped up, going for the kill and slicing through the table, and he burst into tainted citrine flames.

Kahu had been lethal. But that had been while suffering from coffee withdrawal. With no hesitation and the same if not similar deadly powers...

Jared hurtled down the hallway, trying to get to the exit. Dorian seemed to have no interest in Alexa, so he wasn't worried about her. And behind, charging after him like a black storm with his scythe in hand, was Dorian. Citrine flames tinted with dark energy spread from him, and Jared knew he would be done for if it hit him.

Bursting out the door, he was able to summon his blade, but he still sprinted away. He heard Alexa calling out for him, but he didn't care, just making sure he was moving away, not caring that he was using his powers on the ground underneath his feet, he just knew fight or flight had kicked in, and he was not brave enough to fight against someone much more experienced and targeting him directly.

He tried to summon his wings, hoping maybe his attacker couldn't fly. But who was he kidding? Not only would his wings freeze, but Dorian was also a stone wielder, so of course he can fly!

Around the mountain he ran, down and down he ran, to the city for help, shifting along the way. He realized now that the villagers knew about this behavior, but that also meant they hopefully had an idea of how to handle it.

Jared caught himself with a hand against the stone of the mountain, cutting up his hand severely. Alexa came up next to him, helping him up.

"Come on! I'll try to hold him off, you run!" He looked at her as she went in the opposite direction, before continuing to run.

Glowing chains came out of nowhere, narrowly missing him. His breath was a flame in his throat.

"That's right, I heard the story," a crazed voice said from behind, not at all winded, "Don't really like how it ends."

Jared didn't bother to turn around, jumping down a ledge, his mind and body now two separate entities as his body worked of its own accord to get away.

Time. He needed to buy himself more time.

"I'm gonna find you!" he heard Dorian call, looking around. Jared hid behind a rock, trying to keep his breathing calm, blade still in hand. Its form had shifted into an amethyst-colored version of Brightcrest, only sharper and less like waves. It certainly looked more like an actual weapon that the blunt object it had been before. He didn't want to fight, but at this point, he knew he might have no choice. "And rip you apart!"

Shivers went down Jared's spine as he realized he hadn't put on his boots and hadn't grabbed his jacket. It was well below freezing outside and suspected his internal flame was the only reason he hadn't realized before now.

"Dad, stop!" Jared felt the world get colder, felt Alexa activate her ice powers. He let himself look, seeing father and daughter ten steps away from each other. Dorian's face lacked emotion while looking at her, and Alexa's tears had frozen to her cheeks as ice formed at her fingertips.

"_Maegan_! Her name was Maegan, and she loved you! And you loved her!" Alexa's mother, he supposed. For a second, he saw a flicker of familiarity in Dorian's swirled eyes, but it was gone, and his arms became like elastic as they stretched to grab her and threw Alexa away like she was nothing at all. She wept from where she had landed, even as blood leaked from her nose, "It's okay, Dad...you can stop now..."

Dorian had his scythe ready, his expression deranged, but his eyes emotionless, "I don't care." He went to bring the weapon down and kill her, but something clicked inside Jared. He knew it was the stone's power reminding him that he was a guardian of the multiverse. Did he want to be? No. But that was what he was.

Just as Dorian brought down the weapon, Jared turned his blade into a lasso, which he managed to use to wrap around Alexa's waist and pull her to safety. He knew full well the only reason he had successfully done that was the magic in his weapon assisting him, and normally he would rather not use magic, but in this moment with a psycho wanting his blood and he was completely unprepared, it was a necessity.

Dorian then saw him and cocked his head in a manner that looked to be something out of a horror movie. Guardian of the Multiverse no more, Jared let his wings free, putting a shellshocked Alexa on a safe ledge and flew in another direction. He then saw the crystalline material change to that of a snowy owl's wings.

Then he did something he didn't expect at all. He activated his armor and landed ten paces from Dorian, activating his stone power to create a shield.

"So you're going to fight?" Dorian asked, "Let's play a little game, shall we? Lives on the line, winner takes all. Ready or not, let's begin!"

Jared had no idea what he was doing, so he played the defensive part, wishing he had his sister's skill in combat. Why he was doing this? No clue. Maybe it was because he knew he wouldn't get out of this by running. He had known it was only a matter of time before some enemy attacked, wanting to kill the stone wielders. He tried to change Dorian into a statue or destroy the weapon, but all he managed was to cause part of the mountain to blow up. He wasn't able to change the form of other magic wielders since he hadn't really tried due to the dangers of it after the cassowary and dirt elemental incidents.

He finally got a hit in, only to stumble face-first into the snow as Dorian rendered himself intangible. How did he have so much power?! Judging by the streaks in his hair, he had the same stone Kelly and Psychic Jared had, so how was he so powerful! Were those two hiding extra powers? Or was Dorian already a mage beforehand?

Yeah no, there was no way he could win. He hadn't thought he could win before, he still didn't know what was snapping in his head to make him want to...

He felt terrible pain, and he realized it was Dorian who had called him here—had gotten into his head!

"You're no fun." Dorian taunted as Jared fell to his knees, clutching his head, "Great Multiverse Hero, beloved by all. I expected so much more."

"Yeah..." Jared looked up, still holding his head, unable to see Dorian very well since his glasses were who knows where "I'm just a kid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time." He then fell completely slack, feeling his mind get assaulted, his mental shields being shattered.

"Jared!" Alexa came down, trying to reach him, summoning her powers again, only to once again be tossed away. Jared dully felt himself get thrown into the air as Dorian went at him with the scythe and—

...

Alexa snapped out of her trance moments before landing to save her friend. From what she had seen, he had been holding his own rather well, until her father decided to activate his power.

Pushing all other thought from her head, she rushed to him, only to get thrown back.

She watched as her father cut Jared clean in half horizontally.

"JARED!" She watched as the auto-kill activated, his hair turning starlit white. She rushed to his side, his eyes glazed over, and facial expression was that of terror. She closed his eyes and tried to ignore the fact his lower half was five feet away.

She saw her father staring at them, looking rather pleased with himself, "Have you any soul!?" She asked, watching as everything she had believed for over a decade came crashing down around her. But she still refused to believe that he was so evil. Where was the father she had known? Obviously not here right now.

"Not really. By the way, what the hell are morals?" He leaned against the scythe in a relaxed manner, as though he knew he could kill her at any time, "But finally people will stop going on and on about Jared Cursebreaker." Alexa noted since there were two Jareds, the death of one would do nothing.

No longer caring, now firmly believing her father was under someone's control, she pulled out Truth-Teller and went to injure him, but not kill, only for him to teleport out of the way and knock her upside the head with a rock that suddenly appeared out of nowhere in his hand.

Suddenly, thunder clapped from above, and the Grim Reaper appeared with his own scythe in hand, looking more menacing than usual. For a second, Alexa feared he was here to take Jared, but then the council member attacked Dorian.

This fight was much more even-matched since Grim had a mastery over all aspects his powers, able to change Dorian's hand to diamond, using the carbon in a human being and pressurizing it.

Dorian didn't seem too bothered by this, merely slipping into intangibility and working to undo the damage, before he attacked again, cutting Grim's arm deeply and jolting him with enough force that his hood fell.

Grim was shockingly young, no older than fourteen or fifteen, his features were average and would easily be forgotten under normal circumstance. He wasn't tall nor short; with messy jet-black hair and dark-chocolate skin. His eyes were hazel, and the planes of his face were simple.

Alexa noticed Truth-Teller discarded in the snow, grabbing it and lodging it into her father's side while he was dodging Grim's attacks and trying to regain the upper hand.

Dorian yelped a little in surprise. Alexa knew she would never activate the burning enchantment against him and therefore knew just to treat it as an ordinary knife. She flipped over him, twisting the knife and pinning him with his stomach against the rough stone of the mountain.

He smiled at her, "Well, looks like you've grown, dragonfly."

That name...that nickname. He had to remember something then! But then...

He wept, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." Memories flashed back through her head of that day, those words, that nickname. She didn't realize he had teleported away until Grim was shaking her.

"We need to go." He said, "Jared...oooohhhhh _wow_. That's a lot of blood." He looked like he was going green a little, "I think I'm gonna be sick." Alexa snapped back to reality, with her friend cut in half and the auto-kill the only thing keeping him tethered to the realm of the living even a little. Otherwise, he would be a goner for sure. She also noted his right arm had come off as well. There was way too much blood, and if it weren't for a few years of assassin training, she also would be sick.

Still, she picked up the half a man, guilt filling her for dragging him into this mess. But how was she supposed to have known her father was angered by the stone wielders?

She called Harrison to say there was an issue, and Harrison appeared within seconds using his portal device. He staggered back, seeing the state of Jared.

"Oh, sugar honey ice tea, maybe you should have warned me." He shook himself, "Come on, we need to operate immediately."

Thank the gods for Harrison's brains and foresight, since he had a robot body matching Jared's size just laying around.

As he worked and Alexa helped while Grim vomited into the toilet, she had to ask, "Why do you have this?"

"It's actually Joselyn's research. When the psychic Jared fell comatose due to Iku, his body was burning up due to his Totem Armor, so Joselyn founded the Replica Program to create replicas of human bodies that can hold a soul. Until now, it was purely theoretical, but Gizmo and I decided to make it a reality while she tries to give a form like this to her MurderBot. It's convenient that I used _this_ Jared's body as the mold." He removed the arm from the suit to add it to the actual body. "Hey, Grim, is his hair going to stay like this like my son-in-law?" Grim shook his head,

"It only stays if they're left like that a few days. It's only been a half-hour, so his hair will go back to normal within a day or so."

"Alright, just asking." Harrison frowned, looking at Jared's other arm, noticing an X sliced into the skin deep enough to leave a permanent scar, and clean enough to be intentionally in that style, "Alexa, can you go get Eden, I need her to heal that."

"Why not have Grim do it? I'm supposed to be helping."

"Because Grim looks to be a child and I think he needs anti-nausea medication more than anything. Besides, the auto-kill just deactivated and Jared's stable, so I'll be able to handle five minutes."

"Wait..." Grim got up and checked Jared's pulse, "I didn't deactivate the auto-kill." They all froze.

"But then..." Alexa asked, "who did?"

OoOoO

Cosmo wandered the halls of the death council main building absently, wishing he had made the bargain five years instead of ten. He'd only made it that long assuming Jared wouldn't complete his training so fast, but he should have known since Jared was one of Freya's. Freya's stone wielders always learned quickly, but didn't always remain sane—though that didn't say much since she'd only ever had four, and two were good while two were crazy.

It was hard to wander since he was avoiding Cradh like the plague. He did want to see that domain, but he couldn't bear the thought of pure-hearted planeswalkers getting tortured wrongfully. Because it was unlikely Cradh gave Cosmo special treatment in cruelty, but that sadly meant everyone else in that bastard's "care" was destroyed mentally and physically. And it didn't help this assumption that the first thing you saw upon entering Cradh's realm was the torture.

Perhaps it was unfair to think so lowly of Cradh, but Cosmo was the only one to have an actual grasp of how powerful his enemy was. Unbinding required someone with strong magical powers, like a stone wielder, but binding in the first place needed someone no less than a god—something nobody else on the council had ever been. So Cradh was debatably the most powerful being in the multiverse—other than that one guy in a different timeline who claimed an unstable worldsoul and got drunk on omnipotence—so he could clearly win an argument with inferior council members.

He continued to walk, wishing for the real sun and not being trapped within the walls of the council's territory when he found himself in the room of undecided souls. Walking in, he gazed at the one souls in a pod. He saw the mini version of the Jared he knew.

Jared Brock (version 26). Cause of death: Misc.

Cosmo frowned, knowing miscellaneous meant multiple things had killed this poor kid. He opened the advanced tab.

Cause of death: shock, mind-rape, blood loss, cut in half.

Damn. Looking at the young soul, he wasn't completely gone yet, just slipping away. Either the auto-kill or life support, he supposed.

It didn't hurt to help. Since this kid wasn't totally dead yet, Cosmo couldn't sense which stone the youth had, just that he had one. But it could be Cradh's, and the idea of such a pure and innocent soul being destroyed by that monster was unacceptable.

Without hesitation, Cosmo used his own power to push the boy back to the living realm, not wishing a fate of torment and despair upon anyone.

He then went to the arrival room when he saw a simple reaper go in there, spotting three planeswalkers asleep until they are damned. He debated obliterating them, to save them from what would very soon come. He was able to push one back though and did that quickly, just like he had for dozens of planeswalkers now.

"So you're the one to blame for the unusually low numbers of planeswalkers. When the reapers told me planeswalkers started vanishing, I was thinking they were waking up and wandering around somewhere." Cosmo froze, now completely petrified, as Cradh walked into view and stood in front of him. It didn't matter there was only a small height difference between them, Cradh still seemed infinitely more threatening and imposing, taking full advantage of those extra two inches of height,

"C-Cradh..."

"Cosmo," he said, Russian accent apparent, "I think it's time we had a talk."

OoOoO

Dorian hissed as he watched his wound heal over. It actually was painful, as he reversed the damage done by the Grim Reaper while that stab healed. Not that he cared all that much, he had purposefully faked giving up on the fight to lick his wounds after all.

If he had wanted to, that stone wielder would be so dead that nothing could bring him back—his body destroyed beyond hope of revival. But he hadn't wanted to kill the boy, no, he wanted to destroy all the stone wielders mentally and potentially physically. This boy having needed the auto-kill to live would shake his confidence beyond belief, making him even easier to break and potentially manipulate into causing mass hysteria, or be a shell, either way Dorian found himself satisfied.

Looking at the drawing, he was pleased to find his plan with the psychic was working slowly yet surely. It wouldn't be fun if the change into a puppet happened all in one night. It had to be gradual, and right now, through the mind of Jared's mate, Dorian could see that panic and trying to figure out how to solve this without destroying the already fragile trust his in-laws had in him. Eventually, his moral compass would fail him, and he would only want the blood of anyone who could be a threat to his daughter.

Dorian was shaking with glee once he had fully healed, the look of horror on the faces of the people of this multiverse as their hero became a madman...it was too good! And yes, he was fully aware he was bound to end up on the council's watch and eventual wrath, but he had avoided being dealt with for many years, so he didn't particularly care.

But that girl, Alexa, still confused him. He didn't care about her, didn't even remember her, but _why_ didn't he remember her? He remembered the night that turned him into this, so why not her? After a moment, he decided to just look through the book, finding the answer lay with a tree. So that meant it wasn't essential, and therefore he didn't care. But the girl would be useful. She was a strong young witch and planeswalker, and she had a soft spot for him, meaning she would be so easy to control.

He looked to the hundreds if not thousands of souls hidden in his wall. He'd sucked the magic and energy out of those souls, to the point they were nothing but a fleeting existence. In his basement with the bodies of those people, turned into darklings. He'd much rather work alone, especially since he was omnipotent as hell with all the powers he had absorbed, alongside the powers he already had, _and_ the ones he was unintentionally gifted by his dear former classmates. But if you have a bunch of bodies, you might as well find a use for them.

Eventually, he decided that his next move would be to swap out a couple members of that family with darklings since then he could see through them and watch the chaos unfold. But who to pick...

He brightened as a couple perfect first targets came to mind, and then decided to finish the meal he had made earlier for company.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Unresolved In Need Of Resolving**

For the first time, Adrien felt like he finally had a handle on this single parent thing.

As he worked to make lunch for the kids before they went to school, he did what he could to not think about that day with Kahu. Two years had passed, but he still couldn't believe he had lost the only ties of his world, except for his DemiFae sister and adopted brother. His father? Dead and forgotten. Mother? Dead. Stepfather? Dead. More or less stepmother? Dead. Best friend? Dead. Kwami? Dead. One of his daughters? Dead. His wife? Amnesiac and showed no sign of showing interest in him.

Regardless of his efforts, Marinette didn't remember anything. She seemed afraid of him actually, and he felt deja vu from when they were teenagers.

That was the problem. Adrien had spent these two years thinking about their relationship and the weird love square, and in the process of his journey of self-discovery discovered a timeline where Zoe never arrived. In that timeline, he was putting up with Lila's and his father's crap which was all kinds of wrong from what he had seen—though since he had no memory of his father after he was ripped from the chain, there wasn't much to go off of.

Most importantly, his relationship with Marinette had been toxic and obsessive, from both of their ends. And that was what it would have come to if Zoe hadn't fallen into their lives and pulled strings to make them get their crap together.

But this begged the question: without Zoe, would he and Marinette have a healthy relationship or any relationship at all? He wasn't sure, and it scared him. He'd learned how to be independent, and now he didn't crave love as much as he did as a teen, at least until Kahu came along and ripped everybody regular he had known except for Chloe away from him.

Catra ran in, and oh lord, it hurt that she was six years old. She and her brother had grown so much. Both had dark hair, but Hugo looked like a male version of Marinette. Zoe had joked that with the matching tattoos the two had and the fact Adrien's son was identical to Marinette, how the hell had she not figured out she was his wife?

"Hey, Dad!" Catra cheered, "Is lunch ready?" Adrien nodded, handing her the lunch box. Hugo beamed, hugging him,

"Thanks, Dad. See you after school." They ran off, Catra dragging Hugo, to catch the ship to school, where the Sommers kids were already headed.

Now that he was without kids, he walked around the gardens of Alynthi. It really was a gorgeous place, Zoe and Eden really outdid themselves.

He sat by the pond closest to his house, with the weeping willow tree next to the water, watching the koi fish swim around.

Zoe came in, hobbling a little with her cane. They'd debated removing her damaged leg and replacing it with a robotic one, but so far the answer was no. But after what had happened to Quantic Jared, it would probably happen soon.

"Hey, Adrien." She said brightly, sitting down beside him, "Things have been so busy that we don't get much brother-sister bonding time." She ran a hand through his hair, which he hadn't cut in a long time, and was down to his shoulder, usually kept in a ponytail.

"The years seem to fly," Adrien mused, "My kids are six, and since they're Fae, they won't need me within four years."

"Aren't you exaggerating a little? I'm pretty sure they'll still need you at age ten."

"Well, Elaine sure doesn't."

"Elaine is Elaine," Zoe shrugged, thinking of Adrien's brooding sister. She looked up, "Did you know I can make sentimonsters?" Adrien turned in shock, and she nodded, "Apparently Dausi's been a freed sentimonster all this time." She sighed, "And so, this morning, she asked me to destroy her."

"I...I'm sorry, Zo."

"It's fine. I can always bring Dausi back." She thought about it, "Your kids still need a mother. I could recreate the Marinette you knew."

"No. It won't be Marinette, and... I'm not ready to think about love right now."

"Understandable, but I know you've been having a hard time. You rarely smile, and pianos still trigger you."

"Yeah, well I'm trying to learn how to be a single parent. But Hugo's anxiety is a huge issue I want to learn how to handle on my own." He sang quietly to himself,

_"Anybody have a map? __Anybody maybe happen to know how the hell to do this? __I don't know if you can tell, __but this is me just pretending to know. __So where's the map, I need a clue, __'cause the scary truth is I'm flying blind, __and I'm making this up as I go."_

"So you're Heidi, from Dear Evan Hansen?"

"Absolutely, except I have two. One has panic attacks, and the other can kill anything." Zoe chuckled,

"You really need to have some 'you time.' If you're thinking about giving up on Marinette, you need to get out into the world. The guys are thinking about going to a bar or something on Friday nights, and the girls go out on Tuesdays."

Adrien shook his head, "Hugo has therapy on Friday nights." Zoe kissed his forehead,

"I'll take him, Sunshine." The only nickname he had that didn't trigger him since most of his nicknames were associated with him being Chat Noir, but Plagg had been dead or unable to fuel a transformation for a good long while now.

"Thanks...I really do need a break."

"That's the spirit!"

"Speaking of damaged souls, has Eden told Amhar the truth yet?" Zoe sighed,

"No. Doubt she ever will honestly. But Hana and chipmunk take care of him, so at least he's got people to take care of him. But the older he gets and the more he follows Quantic to the lab, eager to learn, the sooner it will be before he asks to take a DNA test or learns how to do it himself. And honestly...I'm scared about what would happen if he confronted her with the truth."

"I mean...he's Kahu's son, so he would understand why we had to hide it from him. It's not like he would get offended over that when he knows."

"No, but then there's the fact he would think that was the only reason and treat Eden like his mother, and that could lead to devastation for him when he learns the truth. Remember he's a Carpenter, so self-loathing is in his blood."

"Well," he shrugged, "Maybe ask her to tell him the truth. Since she's Hana's fiancé, she will be in his life regardless, and Hana would just be the Dad with primary caretaking job."

"I know." She gave a nonchalant hand gesture, "We're probably worrying too much." Adrien looked at her in shock,

"Have you met this family!? We're probably not worrying enough!"

"Fuck, you're right."

OoOoO

Eden was looking through a book when Hana appeared from the shadow,

"Hello, lovely!" She kissed her fiancé's cheek, still not believing Eden had said yes, "What're you up to?"

"Haven't you heard?" Eden asked, looking up at Hana, who shrugged to prove she was unaware of the situation.

"Nope. I was out with Amhar seeing if I should wear a tux or a black dress for the wedding. I'm sure I could rock the tux, but I still have a girly side."

"Well, Quantic Jared got attacked and cut in half, and I think his attacker branded him with the Recrusent Sigil."

"WHAT?!" She gasped, "Who did this, I will destroy them!"

"I don't know, haven't asked." Eden shrugged, "But it seems the sigil for this attacker is an X, seeing as that's the mark on Jared's arm, and salt was used on it, so it will scar no matter what I do. Only thing I can think of is removing that arm too." Hana sat down, her head in her hands, hearing she had been planning her wedding while her close friend and fellow stone wielder was attacked.

"I'm gonna check on him, we'll continue talking later?" Eden nodded, getting up and brushing down her usual violet gown.

"Of course, Han. And can you keep Amhar out of here? Zoe said she wants to talk about...you know."

"Oh, of course." That was the one thing they didn't talk about because it always ended in a big fight and Hana being banished to the couch, so the shadow charmer was hoping her soon-to-be sister-in-law would help. She ran off to go check on Jared, and Eden went back to her book.

Amhar was a kind and likable kid, loved by all who met him, even dubbed the Prince of Spring by some. He was seven in appearance and older in maturity, and he was eager to learn, looking up to Quantic Jared for his intelligence and was excited to test things out. There had been many who had said they wished Amhar was their son.

But Eden could not stand him.

It wasn't his fault, she knew that, the method of which he was conceived. He doesn't know Vita forced it upon her amnesiac self, was oblivious to the fact the labor had nearly killed her. He wasn't aware of that, it wasn't his fault. Amhar didn't even look like Vita. But still, she hated him for what he represented: something forced upon her.

And what would happen if he learned the truth? She'd have to reject him, probably in a harsh way, and that would make her relationship with Hana all the more awkward since her fiancé had accepted the little boy as her own.

She'd been getting better over the years, recovering from that trauma and finding out from Cherokee she had, in fact, had postpartum depression. Maybe she still had it, since she hated her baby.

Eden was brought from her musings by a knock on her door and her sister appearing. Zoe, with her eternally messy hair, sweatpants, and a long nightshirt as her outfit, made her way into the room and sat down.

"Adrien and I were talking, and then it got confirmed. Amhar plans to take a DNA test." Eden spit out her water,

"You're messing with me, right?"

"Wish I was, sis." Eden took a deep breath, reaching for something to handle her terror, so she settled with a little stone she used to calm herself down.

"Fucking Jared," she muttered, "Didn't just accept him. Can't he and Cam have just rolled with it? He looks enough like them."

"Yeah, well Jared is sterile now, thanks to that incident. He doesn't want kids. Joselyn is the only exception since she was at the right age to be passable when they first met." Eden groaned loudly,

"This is going to ruin my relationship with Hana. I can't stand that kid, and if he calls me 'Mom' I will dropkick him into the ocean and leave him there."

"Woah! Calm down there, crazy." Zoe tensed at how much her little sister unfairly detested that boy, "I just need you to understand it will only be a matter of time before he finds out. You spend every second of every day unless with Hana worrying about the day he finds out. Well, that day is coming soon, so you need to _try_."

"Easy for you to say," Eden snapped, "You have four kids and are trying for a fifth, all of which were wanted kids, or you were at least okay with it."

"That's no excuse. Mom and Dad didn't want or expect me! But they still loved us and did what they could and _tried_. They didn't hide their relation to me, even if I was just a burden on them. I'm not asking you to be all lovey-dovey with him, just let him know you're just not ready for kids, but are a part of his life. He's bright, and he'll understand."

"I'd rather somebody kill the kid." Eden muttered, and saw Zoe clench her fist,

"I have put up with your behavior long enough!" Zoe sucked in a breath, trying to compose herself, "I came here to have a civil conversation and invite you for drinks. But it seems I have no choice... Eden, you are going away for a while, until you get your act together."

"What?" Eden seethed but was also hurt at the idea she was being turned away by her own sister, "I created Alynthi with you! We're family!"

"Eden, us being family is exactly why I'm doing this..." Zoe sighed, "I know your experiences changed you, but you are _nothing_ like the girl I knew, and seeing as you just told me you would kill your son if he referred to you as what you are, I don't want you around my children and I don't want Hana to suffer trying to make it work with what you've become. And seeing as this family has a tendency to attract trouble, I want you to get away from here for a while so you can get yourself together without whatever monster who attacked Jared going after you."

Eden froze at her big sister's words, her heart cracking. She could tell by the tears falling down Zoe's face that she didn't want this, but had no choice, and the idea of getting away from the Carpenter bullshit for a bit was fair logic. But they were sisters, supposed to be equals, but here her formerly psycho sister was calling her out where nobody had dared before.

"W...Where will I go? Are you really throwing me to the curb after all we've been through? Dad's probably turning in his grave right now."

Zoe flinched. The supposedly battle-hard warrior, merciless psycho bitch, murderess, lethally powerful Worldbender—one of the last of her species—just flinched. And Eden knew she had hit hard, and deep.

Too hard. Too deep.

"Zoe..." she reached for her sister's hand, seeing the woman's vibrant eyes dull down as she shook, trying to hide a sob.

"It's time to go, Eden. Sam's going with you, to another world, where you will continue your studies and heal with nothing to distract you."

The words hung between them, and she wondered if her sister was waiting for her to take those words back. But she knew that with what she had just said, cruelly hurting her sister, that Zoe's kindness was probably only due to her head being fixed.

As Eden silently packed a bag, the wind was hollow as it roared around them, the darkness that was usually welcoming was now cold and foreign.

Zoe watched with an emotionless gaze, "I am really sorry it has to be this way. I hope one day, you'll forgive me."

Eden was silent for a moment before saying, "Sam is archmage, so he shouldn't be away from Innistrad."

"Mara's taking over for now." Zoe answered, struggling as they went down the stairs, "They'll be switching off each week, and since she's Sam's apprentice, this is a good task for Mara."

"I suppose you're right." They got to the bottom of the stairs and saw Sam there with a soft smile on his face,

"So I take it the talk didn't go well."

"Nope." Zoe muttered harshly, "Thanks for agreeing to this."

"No prob, Zo." Sam grinned cheerfully, "I've needed a break, and since I will be a temporary member of the Zariya court after Liana's coronation in a couple days, that means the occasional meeting and otherwise total relaxation."

"Hana's going to hate you," Eden snapped at her sister, but Zoe shook her head,

"This was Hana's idea. She was going to tell you, but I decided to interrupt. She loves you, but also doesn't want to get married while you're still healing." Eden felt another pang of betrayal but realized that if even Hana, who they were pretty sure was her mate even if the bond hadn't clicked yet, thought there was a problem, then there was one.

"Okay. Fine." She picked up her bag and walked out the door, "Who's in charge of raising the sun?"

"Eli." Of course, she was being replaced by her brother-in-law. She sighed,

"Au revoir, sister." Zoe waved from where she stood,

"Farewell, Eden. Hope to see you soon." Sam linked arms with Eden,

"Come along, Liana's waiting for us."

Sighing, Eden left with him.

When they were gone, Eli came out, "If this is about Amhar, why didn't you do this to Jared when you tried that prank, and it ended badly?"

"Because it was an age thing and it caught him off guard. Eden hates Amhar for something he had no part in and was willing to kill him if he knew the truth. Jared just wouldn't care at all and want the kid to leave him alone. Eden is the more extreme one, and with how it contrasts who she was before...and Amhar was only the catalyst of this decision. I know a broken soul when I see one, Hero. If a year or so passes and she's still like this with no sign of recovery, I will accept it as just her new personality. But for now, I want her to relax and recover."

OoOoO

Liana slumped back against the heavy door the moment it had shut behind her, going near boneless as her exhaustion from the last few days crashed down on her. She had to lock her knees to keep herself from sliding all the way down to the floor. She let her head fall back, wincing at the force with which it collided with the unforgiving wood. She stayed in that position for a while, relieved no one was there to see her moment of weakness, just relishing the chance to finally drop her guard after holding so tightly to her control for so long.

Hours upon hours of training and lessons which Freya had stated were utterly worthless in the grand scheme of things. It was exhausting, and she would much rather spend looking around and exploring, or reading, or trying to find a way to get in contact with Cosmo. This was the longest they had been apart in forty years, and while that wasn't a massive deal for Cosmo, that was still the majority of Liana's existence since she was only 58.

Eventually, she pushed herself upright, but she swayed alarmingly on her feet and had to steady herself with a hand on the wall again. A wave of lightheadedness swept over her, and she remembered that not only had she gotten no sleep the night before, but she hadn't had anything to eat since high noon, and it was well into the evening by now. The feeling passed quickly enough, and she looked around the chambers she had been given and wondered if these would be her chambers officially or if she would be moved into even more opulent quarters when she was crowned.

She forced those thoughts from her mind; tomorrow was for tomorrow. Tonight, she had a warm bed and a reprieve before the challenges that would come, and that was what she was gonna focus on. She fell facefirst on the bed.

It had taken ten days for everything to be prepared. Ten days of servants clearing out the throne room, scrubbing the lower halls, find the food and cooks that were needed and outfit the throne room in queenly splendor. Liana wasn't all that impressed because she distinctly remembered Jared alone having to do all that work in one day during the Cinderella incident which she planned to use as blackmail.

She woke up to the sound of a knock on the door. She yawned, "Come in..." Jared came in, and Liana brightened to see a familiar face, "Jared!"

"Hey, Li." Jared waved, "We were passing through Zariya and thought it would be nice to be there to support you for the coronation, and Joselyn mentioned having an interest in Zariya, so it's a small trail. And thanks again for taking the job, so I don't have to."

"You owe me, big time." She sat at the vanity, glad it wasn't a servant, that way she could take care of herself in peace. Then suddenly she was all prettied up, hair curled, makeup applied. Jared shrugged,

"Of all the obscure things Cosmo taught me, I never saw any reason to use that one. It's like he knew." Liana chuckled,

"Well, knowing Cosmo, he probably did." She sighed, "Kind of wish he was here right now."

"Eight years, though Freya told me he's finally going to have that long-overdue talk with Cradh, so it might be sooner if you're lucky. The book of prophecies was unclear about that, which probably means it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things."

"I guess." She went behind the changing screen and slipped on a casual dress since the coronation was at noon. "How's your mate?"

"She's good. We're engaged, and I accidentally proposed with a hot pocket." Liana burst out laughing, just imagining that was hilarious,

"Got caught off guard by the witch custom thing? That's kind of iconic, though." She came out from behind the screen, "You should probably look for a book on what witch customs are so you don't accidentally divorce her with a pizza."

"That's what I've been doing. Then I sent the book to Felix since he is the one dealing with a forced marriage." He held a hand out of her, "Ready to head down? After all, the queen needs breakfast before being crowned, and they have no plans of bringing you food. Your maid said something about you needing to be skinny for the coronation, but I couldn't give less of a shit. We came back from the dead together, so we can afford to break the rules. Besides, you haven't met Cam properly and she _really_ wants to meet you."

They snuck out of the castle and to a small café, where there were multiple teenagers and Camille. Liana noticed that Jared had a little hostility and even a tiny bit of fear towards the boy with the scars, who introduced himself as Rhydian.

"Hello." Camille grinned, shaking her hand, "We've never officially met." Liana turned towards Jared with a shit-eating grin, ready to get her revenge for him lying to her for two years,

"Nope. But Jared's was _yearning_ for you in the afterlife." Camille blushed, and Jared whacked Liana upside the head,

"You make it sound like I'm some damsel!"

"Says the guy who was having a panic attack while vomiting over the toilet and only your mate's gentle caress could calm you."

"AWWW!" Robin got excited, "That's so romantic!" Jared gave Liana a dark look,

"See what you've started? I'm going to start screwing with your memory if you bring up more blackmail." Liana scoffed,

"Fine, Cinderella." When the nickname got the attention of everyone, Jared flipped her off, "That's revenge for lying to me for two years."

"Cinderella?" Camille mused, "That means I'm the prince. And remembering the circumstance where we met the second time, it's always been like this."

"So is Jared gonna wear the dress for the wedding?" Spencer asked sarcastically, and Jared pinched the bridge of his nose in a manner that implied he was debating killing them all except Camille,

"Cam, you can wear a tux if you want. But there is no way in hell you all are getting me in a dress." Their food arrived, and Liana watched the teens talking about places they had searched for Joselyn, and where they should go after the coronation. Liana explained that the actual inauguration would take five minutes since she was too ADHD to focus if it went longer than that.

After a lovely brunch, and Liana chatting with Cam about men drama and the stupid shit their respective significant others have done, Jared was very annoyed or intrigued when hearing about blackmail material against Cosmo.

The clock then struck noon, and Liana yelped as she realized she was late.

"Crap!" She ran back to the castle and felt her dress changed, probably courtesy of Freya, and she made it just in time as the door opened for her.

Evergreen garlands hung from the pews and rafters, and Liana had to admit the servants had done an impressive job. Candles flickered everywhere, and the windows had a frosty pattern.

The last of the guests had finished filing into the packed space, and she made a note to check and make sure there were no Sidhe here since Freya had told her to be careful of them. Speaking of which, Freya stared towards the open doors, face impassive for the most part, but a hint of delight could be seen in her soft brown eyes.

The trumpets rang out. Pews groaned as everyone twisted to the doors.

Behind the dais, hidden behind a painted wooden screen, a small group of musicians began playing a processional. And with that, Liana started walking just as practiced.

Clad in flowing, gauzy green and silver, her brunette hair unbound, she paused on the threshold of the throne room, weighing every step she would take to the dais.

The faces of the random people blurred as she passed by. Each of her footfalls echoed through the ground. Her hands shook, so she held them in front of her tightly. Each step to that throne loomed and yet beckoned.

And then she was three steps from the dais, and Freya strode to the edge eagerly.

As the two had practiced the previous night before bed, as she had practiced in the stairwells for hours, Liana ascended the three steps and knelt on the top one.

Freya smiled, "Do you offer your life, your body, and your soul to the service of Zariya and the rest of Faekind?"

Liana nodded, her voice emotionless as she spoke, "I offer all that I am and all I have. I, Liana May Sullivan, swear upon my immortal soul to guard, nurture, and to honor Zariya and Faekind from this day until my very last." There were so many sarcastic comments she wanted to add, such as a friendly reminder that she'd come back from the dead after getting hit by a damn truck, but she had chosen not to, reminding herself that she had been leading for forty years, this should hopefully be a walk in the park.

"Then so it shall be," Freya responded, and reached out a hand, but not to her, but to a little girl no older than five, who stepped forward with a green velvet pillow, the crown atop it.

Twin bands of gold woven together rose to uphold the shining blood orange gem in the center, which dazzled in the light of the afternoon sun as Freya lifted it from the pillow.

She raised it towards the shaft of light pouring through the windows. Freya set the crown atop Liana's head, its weight heavier than she'd thought. Liana closed her eyes, letting the weight designed to show the inevitable burden sink in.

"Rise," Freya said, "Liana Sullivan, Queen of Zariya. Long may she reign, so I don't have to." The crowd laughed at that comment, and Liana chuckled as she rose. Freya whispered in her ear, "All that seriousness was getting old, this is supposed to be a happy time."

"Hail Liana!" The call went up through the hall, echoing off the ancient stones, "Queen of Zariya!"

With that, Liana sat on a throne that was now hers. She saw Jared give her a nod, leaving with the rest of the people.

_"Best of luck, Li," _he said into her mind,_ "You'll need it."_

And she smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Secrets and Suffering**

Danielle was relieved Kaylee had lengthened the bargain time. This meant the young warrior was gone for the New Moon.

Kaylee, in her spare time—unaware of her brother's current state—had taken to training the people of Alynthi how to fight without magic. The only people spared from this were Roxas from the dark test since he was blind; Zoe temporarily until the holes still in her body were healed; and Danielle since she could never control anything she did.

Or so they thought...

As a Hanyou, a particular aspect of her was hidden from all, including her parents and siblings. There was one night a month, the night of the new moon in her case, that stripped her of her yokai powers until sunrise.

So here she was, bolting her door and windows shut, turning on all the lights, so no section of the room was in shadow, and she sat on her bed with a laptop as she felt herself revert to a regular human girl, watching as her silver locks turned cocoa brown.

No luck powers, just a terrified human girl in a sea of predators. How did humans live with this feeling all their lives?

She sat there in silence, watching Netflix all through the night, not getting a wink of sleep.

When the sun rose, and she felt her power return, she rolled over to get a couple hours of sleep.

OoOoO

Felix and Kaylee were looking through history textbooks together, some being stuff he had stolen from the Sardothien library and had hidden in the satchel he got kidnapped with. He always kept it with him since it had been the week he would be taken from the wedding. The day of his kidnapping had actually been 'wedding day' fifteen.

Both of them enjoyed history, but right now, they were looking for some loophole or law that prevented him from marrying Amaya. It had taken a couple days to make a salve for the acid damage, and while his leg was mostly healed, it was still bandaged and he had a limp.

"Well, witch culture claims that marriage has to be consensual; but in the case of an arranged marriage, the witch and her matron has complete rights to the male and may do whatever they please to him." Felix shuddered, "Maybe my relationship isn't as abusive as I feel it is..."

"Felix, no." Kaylee snapped, "She's treating you like property, denying you freedom, and you told me of her temper when you disobey. That's abuse, even if she's not raping you."

"I guess. You finding anything?"

"Nothing helpful except that you cannot under any circumstances give Amaya food...wait! That's it!" Kaylee brightened, "What if you give _me_ food in front of Amaya and her mother!" At Felix's odd look, she clarified, "Remember when Kyra mentioned the option about you not being pure to get out of the marriage? Well, you giving me the food would basically be saying you are accepting me as your mate and spouse. Even if it's not real, but witches can't deny that would be your choice unless they _really_ think you belong to them as nothing more than their property. And in that case, your mom would act."

"That's brilliant!" Kaylee grinned,

"It should work. Next month when I pick you up. Should I expect any more kidnappings?"

"Not that I know of. I'll get you in touch with Kyra." Kaylee looked out the window of their cabin and saw the rain had stopped, "Do you want to play baseball for a bit? Is your leg healed enough for it?"

"Yeah!"

OoOoO

Felix limped as he paced his room for a good while until, just as she always did, Hatsune appeared to help him change for bed and bathe him. She was the only one he didn't feel mortified around, namely because she let him do it himself.

As she combed his hair once he got out of the tub, he cringed at his reflection. The purple beneath his eyes seemed permanent now—his face wan. Even his lips were a bit pale, and he sighed and closed his eyes. Kaylee had been distraught about his state, and he hated to scare her.

"So, how was it?" Hatsune asked much more casual than a servant would typically be. Her russet hair was still in her face, and she brushed a strand of it away. She was the only person he truly trusted here since Kyra could have her own agenda, so she knew the truth about his friendship with Kaylee.

"It was great. We have a new plan to get out of the marriage, with me offering food to Kaylee in the presence of Valeria. That way, we can judge how much of an object they see me as." He noticed Hatsune sigh,

"You know, it's possible you could look for your real mate. The bond of mates is more sacred than literally anything else in the magical community. Families are torn apart, and laws permitted to be broken for mates to be together." Felix turned to face her,

"But Amaya never lets me out, especially with the kidnapping, and I need to hide at the cabin with Kaylee." Hatsune winked,

"I don't have the same restrictions you do. The only reason Valeria even knows I exist is that I'm your handmaiden. I could easily sneak out and find a female who might fit the bill." She gently coaxed a tangle out of his hair as Felix tapped a foot on the floor. "But maybe start with talking to Amaya about all the guards around you all the time. I hate to see you suffer."

"Thanks. I'll talk to Amaya tonight." Hatsune helped him into his nightshirt, careful of his wings, and ran her hands through his hair to mess it up just as he preferred,

"Good luck, Fe."

Felix tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach at hearing her use his nickname.

It was after midnight when he decided to go talk to Amaya, knowing she was still awake. He was nervous as he walked down silent corridors and found her in the study, thankfully alone. She treated him more like a person when her mother wasn't around.

A wooden box with a blue bow sat on the table between twin armchairs, "I was just about to come up and check on you," Amaya said, lifting her head to do a quick scan over his body to make sure all was right, all was fine. Yet she didn't see how he was clearly unhealthy and suffering here, "You should be asleep."

Felix shut the door behind him. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until he got his message out. But he listened to her as she got up and handed him the wooden box, and he realized it was another trinket to attempt buying his affections.

_Please, not a crown._

He unlatched the box, and suddenly wished it was a crown. As built into the box were compartments and sleeves and holders, all full of brushes and paints and charcoal and sheets of paper. A traveling painting kit.

A gift he would adore from his parents, Kaylee, or Hatsune. But from Amaya, he felt sick.

"I thought you might want to take it around the grounds with you."

He tried to smile, to will some brightness into his eyes. Whether he liked her or not, his father had taught him to be polite when given a gift. He studied the box and its contents again, deciding to use this to start what he had come in here for, "Will I even be allowed to roam where I wish to paint? Or will there be an escort too?"

Silence was the answer he got, and it told him plenty.

Felix began shaking, "Amaya—Amaya, I can't...I can't live my life with guards around me day and night. I can't live with that suffocation, in which I feel freer with Kaylee than I do here." He saw Amaya's rage start bubbling up, but he didn't care, "If you don't respect what I'm saying, _then marry someone who can put up with this!_"

She blinked slowly. Then she said with terrible softness, "Do you not want to marry me, then?"

"I don't! I've been saying it for over a year, and only my parents and _Kaylee_ listen to me!" His voice broke, "The walls push in on me, same with the guards! I'm drowning here, _drowning_. And the more you do this, the more guards...you might as well be shoving my head underwater."

Nothing in those eyes, that face.

But then—

Felix shrieked as he realized he had let his own temper out and made a terrible mistake, his instinct taking over as Amaya's power blasted through the room. The windows shattered. The furniture splintered. And the box of paint exploded into dust and wind, cutting into his hands and face.

One breath, the study was intact. The next, it was a shell of a room.

Nothing except the box had touched him from where he had dropped to the floor, his hands over his head.

Amaya was panting, ragged breaths almost like sobs.

He was shaking so hard he felt his bones would splinter as the furniture had, but he made himself lower his arms and look at her.

There was devastation on her face. And pain. And fear. She took a step towards him but recoiled as if she hit something solid.

"Felix," she rasped, trying to get through again, once more hitting the solid shield of wind he realized he'd thrown around himself, "Felix, please."

The shield dropped as Felix started backing away. Amaya walked towards him, trying to touch him, but he didn't stop backing away, trying to get to the door.

"_Please_."

But Felix wasn't listening anymore, as he bolted out the door, not caring that he was barefoot and still in his pajamas as he sprinted down the mountain, slicing his feet open as he ran, but he didn't care. He heard the alarms sound and knew it was only a matter of time before he was captured. And the fact he considered being taken back to the palace as being captured said a lot about his current situation.

He didn't realize just how much like his mother he looked in this moment when she had been stabbed by Gabriel. Purple attire, cut-up feet, running for his life. The only difference was that he wasn't dying from a stab wound.

As he ran, he wept. He couldn't take it anymore. He needed help. But did he value his own sanity over the lives of an entire coven? No, he wasn't that cruel. Hatsune would never forgive him.

He ran until he couldn't run anymore, exhaustion claiming him once him realized he had nowhere to go since he couldn't fly away. So he sat in a small cave and curled into a ball, noting the cold stone felt more comfortable than he felt anywhere on this world unless alone with Hatsune.

"Fe?" Felix opened his eyes, sitting up and realizing it was pouring rain. Hatsune was just outside the cave, before running in, sopping wet, seeing his state, "Oh by the mother, what did she do to you!? You're bleeding!"

"I am?" Felix looked at his reflection in a puddle and noted that he had indeed been hit, and he probably just hadn't felt it. He willed himself to heal, and it happened, but he still had the dried blood on his face and hands.

Hatsune removed her headscarf and used it to wipe the dried blood away, "I take it the talk didn't go well." Felix's lip quivered, before he cried again, melting into her wet yet somehow warm embrace.

"I can't stay here anymore, Hati...I _can't_."

"I know, Felix." She soothed, "I'll bring you back in the morning, then I'm going to go find help from another coven. Okay?" He nodded to himself,

"Okay."

Hatsune smiled, and with a flick of her wrist, a forcefield went up around the cave. Felix turned to a pile of wood, setting it aflame.

They fell asleep, curled up next to each other.

OoOoO

Kaylee arrived back on Alynthi, ready to eat dinner, stargaze, sleep, and get back to training the rest of these magical people.

She was not ready, however, to see her brother nowhere to be found, and a note on the kitchen counter that says she needs to meet them at Harrison's lab, saying it's urgent and something happened to Jared.

Not even bothering to change out of the Okte leathers, she raced to the lab to see what's going on, fearing there had been another explosion in Jared's lab or he got sick or... She imagined so many worst-case scenarios, but nothing prepared her for the sight of her brother hooked up to multiple machines, with his arm and his lower half being robotic. Nor did she expect to see the strands of white in his hair, which started fading away and returning to brown right before her eyes.

"What happened!?" That stirred Jared awake, and he sat up a little.

"Hey..." he looked down at his robotic parts and sighed, "I went with Alexa to find her Dad and...you can see how that went. Turns out Dorian gets pissed off by stone wielders."

"Jared, stop." Harrison chastised, "I know that tone since I heard it from Eli for twelve years. Stop lowering your self-esteem. Dorian Nanami is one of the deadliest fighters in the multiverse when he wants to be, and that's before all of the crazy extra powers. I've seen him in action with just elastic limbs and his scythe, and he killed _five_ of Amelia's magical sisters in _one go_. It's a miracle you weren't annihilated beyond saving. And then there's the mind-rape you experienced. You are aware pretty much anyone else would require breathing machines and life support for the rest of their days after that. For you to be aware right now shows incredible strength."

Kaylee's blood ran cold hearing that someone had attacked her brother for something he hadn't exactly had a choice in. Dorian Nanami, they say...

"Kaylee, no." Jared stopped that train of thought before it got rolling, "You haven't seen him fight. I know you're unbeatable against non-magic, but we still aren't certain for _with_ magic. Dorian is powerful, so don't go after him. I'm pretty sure he won't come after us if we just leave him be."

Harrison nodded, "Yeah, Kaylee, not now. And preferably not ever unless I throw you in a simulation of his fighting style. Jared should be up and out of bed by Monday, so perhaps you two should have bonding time." Kaylee nodded, and Harrison yawned, leaving the lab probably to grab some dinner. She turned back to Jared, who was looking at an X-like scar on his left-forearm.

"Did he give you that?" She asked. Jared nodded,

"Yeah. It's too clean a cut to be unintentional, especially since salt was added at some point to ensure it scarred, but I don't know why he would bother with that. Eden said something about it being some sort of symbol, but she played the pronoun game, so I have no clue which symbol she was referring to."

"I'll look." She assured him, hoping it was just a cut and not some sort of symbol. But while she looked, she still remained by his side.

OoOoO

Dorian relaxed in his home as per usual, at the moment peeking into some minds to check on how Psychic Jared was handling what he was reading in the book and found himself bitterly disappointed to not see _any_ show of potentially being the cause of a family civil war. He wasn't too worried about that since there was always time and so many other people he could break to tear that family apart and therefore lead to multiverse collapse, but he had been hoping for at least a little of a descent. However, he wasn't looking in the man's mind so as to avoid detection, so maybe he was just really good at hiding it.

He had narrowed his potential darklings to four, but had eventually found flaws in three of the four.

Felix Sommers was at his breaking point, but that was too easy, and it would only destroy him, not spark a deadly rage. However, breaking Felix would lead to the wrath of his extremely dangerous parents, who would wipe out the Sardithien coven... That could be a start.

Eden Imelda wasn't worth his time since she was already snapped and would probably be the prime target if Jared finally did go mad.

Adrien Agreste...with how he's lost everything time and time again and was currently coping with the loss of his wife while being a single parent, he could be a good target. But Dorian realized the Fae's sister, Elaine, would be an even better target since she was already a ball of rage so people wouldn't notice a change in behavior.

He had plans for the stone wielders too, the Recrusent Sigil on that young one's arm proved that. Dorian knew precisely where the younger Jared was because of it. But if he was going to destroy the multiverse using its heroes, he would need to break more than one.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: This is why we can't have nice things**

Psychic Jared looked out the window of the ship they were on, gazing at the Lanes Between, the book of prophecies on his lap. He was the only one who could read it due to the language, so he didn't care if he left it open. He'd read the thing multiple times now, and one passage kept coming back to haunt him.

_Under the control of Kahu's son, Rhydian Amouré will remove the Worldbender spark of and kill Joselyn Brock._

And to make matters worse, according to the book, killing Rhydian even before they met would turn Joselyn against him forever. Erasing him from the timeline would somehow end the multiverse. Killing Amhar wouldn't successfully happen since the kid's too damn powerful.

Jared pondered his options. This was the singular passage in the whole book that didn't go into detail. It was so vague, the only thing it revealed was the event was supposed to be in eight years, around the same time he was supposed to set Cosmo free. Coincidence? It probably was, but there was a constant nagging that told him Cosmo had known more than he let on when setting the release date.

If he didn't have the book, Jared would see Rhydian as a perfectly good kid, someone he would be okay with Joselyn being friends with. And maybe when she's forty, Joselyn would be allowed to take a romantic partner if she wants. Hell, it was actually admirable the way Rhydian took care of his friends and cared for them.

Rhydian, however, was not an idiot. He had picked up on Jared's discomfort and had been poking around with Jared's powers to make sure there was no attack planned. Since it was an understandable reason, Jared decided to leave Rhydian be if he was just making sure himself and his friends weren't in any danger. So they had an unspoken truce.

He was brought from his musings when Gizmo jumped down, "Hey! I just finished my mold for the MurderBot chip file! I feel like I should give it a name instead of MurderBot since that's not the model anymore." She looked to where Camille was asleep with her head on Jared's lap, "Ah, I see you found the ring for her."

"Oh, I never did thank you for keeping that secret." He admitted, "I thought you would have just told her and been done with it."

"Yeah, I thought about that," Gizmo shrugged, cleaning off her new purple glasses, "But I knew that since death means nothing in this crazy family, I might as well just not say anything. Besides, I was a little preoccupied looking for Joselyn. Every time I get a feel for where she is, someone tells me I just missed her or some crap like that. It's almost like she's trying not to be found."

"Yeah, well, since she probably thinks I'm dead, she wouldn't want to be."

"That is not wrong." Gizmo shrugged, "So you and Cam are engaged."

"Yeah."

"And please explain what her highness meant by calling you Cinderella." Jared groaned,

"As punishment for oversleeping an hour, I was forced to clean a 2.5 square mile afterlife school campus, every nook and cranny except NPC bedrooms, in under a week. By the end of it, I was so covered in soot that my hair was brown again. That's all. End of story. No fairy godmothers or shit like that."

"Much more anticlimactic than I imagined, so I am left unsatisfied." Gizmo mused in a robotic-voice, before bouncing back, "But that's fine."

"Giz, you're doing it again," Jared heard Tarsa call from another room. Gizmo ran a hand through her hair,

"Whoops."

Spencer came in, "So we have another possible location for Joselyn. It's not definite, but I'm only going off the limited knowledge I have of her. Wanna try it?" Jared gently shook Camille awake and put the book of prophecies in his bag,

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find her!"

OoOoO

Eden walked down a marble hall in the palace of Zariya, her dress flowing behind her in a purple and white wave. Sam strode cheerfully beside her, having seen blueprints for this palace and claiming it was more majestic than he'd ever imagined.

"Is there anything interesting down this hall?" Eden asked wearily, not enjoying this at all and would rather be doing anything else. How dare her sister send her away?

Sam turned brightly, "What else would you like to see? We've now seen all three gardens, the ballrooms, the historic rooms, and the most beautiful views in Zariya!" He was way too excited about this, or maybe he was just trying to spark something in her. She knew the girl she used to be would be loving this.

"Is there a library? I do need to get back to my studies." Sam shrugged,

"Okay then, it's supposed to be this way." They walked in silence for a few minutes, until they came across a twenty-foot oak door with stone dragons up against the walls.

Upon entering, Eden found herself in a city of leather and paper. Candelabras kept the room lit, large mahogany tables with red-velvet chairs, a slumbering fire, bridges, ladders, railings, and more books than she could count.

"How many are there?" She asked, looking around. Sam was in awe at the place as well,

"Last time anyone checked, it was roughly a million. But that was two hundred years ago, and there's a legend of a second library hidden in the palace. But there is a reason Zariya had the best healers in the land."

"I can see why." Eden sat down, grabbing a book, and getting to studying. Why would Zoe send her away to heal, when she was a healer? It wasn't her job to heal herself. With how numb she felt every day, and how she had grown used to it, there was no point in trying to feel again for anyone except Hana.

Sam sighed, "I take it this is your way of telling me that you want to be alone to bottle up your feelings." Eden's confirming nod had him leaving with a sad expression.

OoOoO

Elaine wandered through the woods of Alynthi, walking to her cottage. Two years and she still felt angry at the world. She knew it was unfair, but the unbearable gaps in her memory just made matters worse.

She knew who these people were, but it was through her father she assumed that she was connected to them. She remembered her mother, who died giving birth to her, but nothing more.

So she resented her brother, having barely any recollection of him or any special time they had together. She would be kind if he came to visit, but that didn't mean it was genuine.

Elaine froze when she saw a man in her cottage, unfamiliar, but had a magical signature very similar and yet wholly different from Kelly's.

"Who are you?" she asked, pulling out a knife. The man smiled, holding a ball of tainted citrine flame in his hand,

"There are different kinds of darkness," he said, not answering the question, "There is the darkness that frightens, the darkness that soothes, the restful darkness. There is the darkness of lovers and the darkness of assassins. It becomes what the bearer wishes it to be, needs it to be. It is not wholly bad or good." He looked up to face her, "I see that in you, Elaine. You are unsure which you are, knowing your fractured memories are the key. So I am offering to take you in and help. See, I too have lost many of my memories, and I wish to get them back since they will be helpful for a little...project."

As an empath, Elaine could feel that this man was not stable. But she was young, and she didn't care at all what other people thought, so she left with him, taking the chance to remembered what she had lost.

But once she felt that sadistic glee from him, she began questioning that choice.

OoOoO

Zoe was laying in bed, sketching quietly, when Roxas came in.

"Hey, Mom..." he sat on the bed next to her, "Can I talk to you?" Zoe closed her sketchbook, turning to face her son.

"I'll always have time for you. What is it?" Roxas smiled a little bit,

"So I was going around school today and found out there are other disabled kids like me. Some caused by the Tragedy, but others were born with it. But they don't get the special help they need. The only reason I do is that you and Dad are respected in the magical community." Zoe nodded a little bit, knowing that was true.

"And?"

"And I want to help," Roxas said, determination sparking in his eyes, "It's not fair I get special treatment. But I don't know what exactly I should do. What did people do on Earth?"

"Sue the school usually. Or blame any part of the world that's not America. But it was part of school policy to help the disabled. But just remember, dearest, that raising awareness does jackshit in the grand scheme of things since people will just leave facebook likes. People don't do anything unless it directly affects them, so start with reaching out to these kids. You're excelling in school, so maybe start a club and tutor the disabled kids to help them."

Roxas's chest puffed in pride that she knew he was doing well in school. He was in the advanced combat classes as well, even winning matches without the use of his powers, and there was nothing but praise from his other teachers. Both Roxas and his twin, like Felix, had inherited more personality traits from Eli. Danielle took the most from Zoe when it came to her rude and blunt attitude. But none of them had shown any signs of inheriting the Carpenter damage and psycho tendencies. And for that, she was glad.

Regardless of having powers, Roxas and Aelin were relatively normal kids. Aelin had recently started playing soccer, and Roxas wanted to join clubs and make a difference. She knew both kids were going to achieve great things one day, but was elated they got to live as children for longer than anyone else in their family had.

"I'm so proud of you, Roxas," she hugged him tightly, and he melted into the embrace, "You're growing into a fine young man. Just make sure not to grow up too fast."

"I won't!" He hugged her again, "Thanks for the idea, Mama. I'm gonna go finish my homework. And Dad said he's cooking tonight!" He ran off, and Zoe smiled to herself, getting up and changing into a simple flowing blue dress. She used to hate dresses, but most pairs of pants hurt her leg.

Walking wasn't pleasant at first, but the two years had taught her how to do it. Stairs were still the enemy though, so she had warp pads around Alynthi, so she didn't have to go near the wretched things.

She had been planning to go to the memorial grounds, but instead found Amhar crying in a tree.

Over the years, at the physical age of seven, Amhar was a slender child with fair skin, shaggy dark brown hair with a blue streak, freckles, and sea-green eyes. The young boy's signature outfit was a grayish-brown sweater with a maroon undershirt, black leather gloves, a dark brown belt with a small bag and a dagger on it, dark brown-and-red striped leggings, and brown boots; atop his head were brown and gold goggles, which he wore during experiments.

"Amhar?" She looked up at him before teleporting beside him, "What's wrong, moonflower?" Everybody who met him always considered him a boy of springtime, but Zoe knew as his secret-aunt that he was secretly a nighttime boy, hence the nickname. And how she wished she could tell the sweet boy the truth about who he was. But Eden did have a point if he found out he was the son of Kahu...well technically Vita, but since they knew so little about him, they really only referred to Iku and Kahu, since they were the ones who did the most against their family. And anyone outside of Alynthi powerful enough to sense who his father was referred to him as Kahu-son. To Amhar's knowledge, he was an orphan taken in by their family.

Amhar's lip quivered, and he continued to cry. They'd taken him to countless doctors, but he still didn't speak. They all knew the youth knew how, but he had only ever said "family" when he was a baby. That was the first and last word he'd ever said. They'd wondered if his experience with Jared rejecting him as a baby had somehow traumatized him into silence.

_Oh_. Amhar probably learned what happened to Quantic Jared, the closest thing he had to a father. When Zoe had seen what had happened to their friend, she'd gotten flashbacks to being tortured by Kahu. Amhar also remembered the war, and she remembered telling him that no more bad people were going to hurt them. Oh, how wrong she was.

"Hey, moonflower, it's okay. You know Harrison's gonna fix this. Jared's already getting better." She brightened a bit, "Do you want a distraction?" Amhar looked up with a curious expression, and Zoe gave him a childish grin, "I'm going to take you to where I always go when I'm upset: Target. There's a nice one on the world next door, so I just go there to buy tons of food and spend a day wallowing and binge-watching Netflix." Amhar giggled a little bit, and they teleported out of the tree.

She held his hand, "Come on, let's go have some fun."

OoOoO

Elaine screamed as she was strapped to an alter in Dorian's home. As soon as they'd landed, he'd knocked her out and started performing some sort of ritual.

"We're gonna play a little game," he said, and she was incredibly unnerved by how he still sounded rather charming, even when he was clearly nuts, "I'm going to put you in a labyrinth. And if you get out before the blue moon in three months, I'll let you go." His eyes continued to swirl, almost of their own accord, and Elaine shrieked as a dagger ran along her arm, blood spilling onto the alter and igniting the violet gems around her.

The Darkling ritual, she realized quickly. She'd been told of Adrien going through this. She shifted to try getting away but then became painfully aware of the Faebane lacing the chains, and the alter she lay upon.

Dorian smirked, "You really think I didn't do my homework, Elaine Agreste?" he pressed his mouth close to her ear, whispering, "Goodnight, and good luck."

Elaine let out one last howl of pain and rage, before waking up somewhere else entirely. It looked familiar.

The architecture was geometrical, with many of the buildings taking the forms of crystalline structures, or inverted pyramids. The sides of many buildings were dotted with dark, neatly-arranged holes.

The actual surface of the place is dead, wasted, and abandoned. Elaine could see that from how the state of the ground was compared to the buildings. In the center of it all was a castle made of what seemed to be glass. And in the sky was a timer.

91 days, 6 hours, 1 minute.

Knowing what she had to do, Elaine shifted and broke into a run down the path.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Crossing the Line**

Quantic Jared fumbled a little bit on the new robotic legs. It was the first time he was out of bed since the incident, so now he was trying and failing to walk. The fact he needed Alexa's help just to stand as he adjusted to _robotic limbs_ really stung. He had never wanted to replace parts of him with a machine, but he understood why Harrison had seen no other choice. Didn't make him feel any less useless.

"Are there any adjustments you need to be done?" Harrison asked, observing the attempted motion, "This body is supposed to function the same as a normal body, using similar tech to Joselyn's replica program and Kelly's robotic arm."

"Wait, Kelly had a robotic arm?" Harrison nodded,

"Yeah. Phenomenal tech on Maxine's part. Actually, now that I think about it, Zoe still has that enchanted wildcard. She's probably waiting until true doomsday strikes." Jared looked at his own robot arm, and then to the X scar on his left forearm. Kaylee was researching to see what the purpose of the mark could be, and they all dreaded the idea of it being the Recrusent Sigil.

He shuddered at the idea of a tracker being branded into his flesh. Harrison had said that since the mark was enchanted, they'd need to destroy it. With the sigil being in the name, burning the birth certificate is enough. Being in the straps of clothes was also not a big deal either. But on his flesh? The only option they could think of was to remove the limb, and at that point, Jared would be mostly machine.

He was very much against that option, and this meant isolating himself was the only way to prevent the tracker from being dangerous. And that...would not be good for his sanity.

Kaylee, sadly, examined the mark on his arm, again, looking at the book. "Yeah. This is the Recrusent Sigil." Harrison gasped, Alexa bowed her head, and Jared looked at the paper, pleading to whoever would listen to him that it wasn't the sigil. But...it was. The X remaining on his skin forever would act as a tracker.

They all watched as his hope faded even more. It's unique really, for all the fame and glory he had, each day that passed turned him into a shell of his former self. This was just the icing on the cake to shatter him completely. He wasn't anything worthwhile.

Alexa wrapped her arms around him, "Jared..."

"Grim!" He called, and Grim appeared, with his hood down. No point in trying to hide his face if Jared and Alexa and Dorian had seen it. Hiding was only to conceal his age.

Grim looked at Jared, and to the mark on his arm, before smiling bitterly, "Walk with me." Jared sighed, getting up and trying to walk, eventually managing and wandering through the garden with Grim. He still couldn't shake off the feeling of him having robotic legs.

"Did you want to talk about something?"

"You feel useless right now." Not a question, and Jared couldn't deny it as Grim spoke, looking towards the pond, "I know how you feel."

That caught Jared off-guard, "You do?"

"Yeah. I was only in my early teens when I was thrown into the council because my mentor tried to put the wyrm in Cradh's head and three guesses how that ended."

"Badly?"

"Very." Grim chuckled, "Over the years, though, I eventually learned to better myself, and put up a mask of being a perpetual disappointment and a giant pussy. But for fifty years, I felt like a complete failure and wanted out of the position and the limelight."

"What changed your perspective? It just seems that I become more of a screw-up as each day passes."

"Try accidentally letting Hitler escape to run around the Moonbase. Before you ask, the Moonbase is a nickname Micah gave the council building after watching some YouTube series." Jared gaped, and Grim chuckled, "Hitler made some progress with the Sidhe, which made Freya get extremely pissed and just obliterate him. She's chill unless the Sidhe gets involved, then she is scarier than Kahu and Dorian combined." Thinking about the gentle young woman Freya was, Jared had a hard time imagining that, because both Kahu and Dorian separately would haunt him for years to come.

"What happened after that?"

"Cradh basically announced I'm a screw-up and shouldn't have been allowed on the council. Not in those words, but I could tell what he meant, and it was Hel who stopped him from killing me. She got murdered forty years later and was replaced by Morrigan." He clenched his fists, "But after that...I gave up on trying to prove myself. It was clear Cradh wanted me dead so he could take over the humans. So if I stood up against him, he would never take me seriously. Best to improve myself in the shadows."

"How'd you overcome it?"

Grim chuckled humorlessly, "I didn't. Not for a long time. I guess my heart hardened against the world outside and what they said about me because I heard it all in my head always. But Jared, you have so many talents I don't have. You're smart, funny, kind, I could go on. You don't find that in many people."

"Eli."

"Eli is not a scientist. If anything, he's the Ultimate Caretaker."

Jared sighed, "Well, here I am, surrounded by people with extraordinary talents. They don't even rely on their powers, they've got skills associated with them outside of their magic! But there's nothing special about me. Scientist? Harrison and Gizmo! Hell, _Joselyn_ managed to make blueprints for human cloning that we confirmed can house life. If I had died at Dorian's hands, nothing would change here."

"Don't say that," Grim snapped, his eyes with a momentary flame in them, "Don't you _ever_ say that. Everyone cares about you here."

"Not many of them address me by my name..."

"That's because there are two Jareds. You'll notice that they use your name unless both Jareds are in the same room. They actually call the other Jared 'Belle' when he's not around."

Jared frowned, not realizing that was who they were referring to when they were talking about "Belle" who he had thought was some girl he didn't know, "Why do they call him that?"

"I have no idea. Ask Zoe, she'd know." Grim looked towards the sun, which was setting, "You should try sleeping for a little bit. You'll feel better."

"Thanks." Jared sighed, looking down at his legs, "Is there a way to get my real legs back...?"

"You mean functioning, right? Because, if not, I guess I could..."

"Yeah, functioning."

"I don't know of a method. But I can go look. Okay? You get some shut-eye, and I'll look."

"Is there a way to deactivate the enchantment on my arm?" He gestured to the scar and sighed, earning a sad look from Grim,

"Other than cutting off the limb? Not that I know of." Jared sighed, walking to his house, and sitting and eating dinner quietly, before heading to his bedroom. Even though he had been on bed rest the last couple days, he was emotionally drained at the moment, so he was able to drift off relatively easy...

Only to jolt awake in a cold sweat around eight in the morning, his sleeping moments plagued with endless nightmares he couldn't wake up from. But when he looked to the window at the sunlight streaming in through the window, he was pretty sure he was still in the nightmare.

Dorian was sitting in a chair next to Jared's bed, probably brought in from the kitchen. He was smiling in such a way that it could be interpreted as either creepy or awkwardly friendly.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Dorian said happily, and the hair on the back of Jared's neck stood on end. He was momentarily paralyzed in terror at the man smiling at him. But he did once again notice the black veins spreading up the left side of Dorian's neck, and now knew he didn't imagine things. However, that was not his main priority. His main concern was why Dorian had come here.

But what did it matter the reason? Dorian was _right there!_

Jared started screaming at the top of his lungs, jumped out of bed, and bolted towards the door, only to have hands grab his waist, which freaked him out even more because Dorian was in the other room at least twenty feet away.

"You're so cute when you're screaming in terror!" Dorian brought Jared back to him, and Jared found himself looking at Dorian's stretchy arms as he was brought back to his doom. The scientist side of him was wondering how his body was even able to do that, but the rest of him remembered this guy cut him in half!

He continued to scream, hoping somebody would hear him. He knew Kaylee was probably already gone.

"HELP!"

"Oh come on, Jared, screaming won't do anything. Alynthi is a big world, and do you really think anybody would care to come to check on you? It's just you and me." He said this, yet his tone sounded alarmingly friendly.

Jared found his throat getting sore quickly from the endless screaming he was doing, trying to get out of Dorian's grip, but his fingers were like extra ropes, and he was much stronger. Jared tried to use his powers, but humans or human-like-beings were still not a specialty of his. Birds were not an issue for some reason.

Dorian sat him down, using one arm as a rope almost to keep him in place. Because it was his left arm, Jared could see the black veins all the way down his arm, but not quite reaching his hand. It was tempting to bite him and use the distraction to run, but that would probably just piss Dorian off.

"Your throat is bleeding a little bit." Dorian said softly, his swirling eyes glowing, "I'll get some tea. And I swear," he smiled, "If you don't stop screaming, I'll _make_ you shut up."

Strangely, Jared could detect no evil in Dorian's smile as he said that. It was an innocent smile, like a frolicking child. Although, perhaps it was all a lie like that original facade he'd put up. But while he was threatening, nothing in his body language other than the rope-arm suggested there was any harmful intent here. If anything, that was even scarier.

"W-What do you want?"

Dorian turned from where he was brewing tea, "Am I not allowed to leave my house and say hi to my visitors?"

"Well, you did cut me in half..." He sighed when he realized he was calming down, and it was almost a guarantee Dorian's magic was to blame.

"Sorry about that. I lost my temper. I want to break you, and nearly killing you isn't fun at all! But it did lead to a nice little opportunity for me." He put the tea in front of Jared, loosening the arm-restraint so Jared could get his own arms free.

Jared eyed the tea with a level of suspicion everybody else, especially Psychic Jared, usually reserved for Zoe.

"What? I'm not going to poison you. If I wanted to kill you, I would have finished you off bigtime on the mountain. But as I said, I had tons of fun. I went out of my house and into the multiverse, isn't it great! I haven't done that in fifteen years! You've inspired me, Jared. And Victoria, too, I guess."

"_Alexa_ is the one who should have inspired you. I just decided to help her find you as a friend. I see now that it was a mistake. And get out of my head to try calming me down."

"Ah, that easy to catch, huh? Well, come on, we can't have a rational conversation if you are shrieking at the top of your lungs. And then I can't tell you of the _amazing_ favor I've done for you." Now he had a sadistic smile, which both scared Jared and relaxed him, glad Dorian was finally dropping the friendly facade. But he also found himself wondering, though Dorian might be planting the thought, if maybe Dorian was bipolar or under the influence of whatever was causing the black veins.

"And what favor was that?" He then felt Dorian's influence on his mind drop, and he was back to panicking.

"Oh, I just told tons of significant media places and spread rumors about our fight and how you literally got your ass handed to you. Everyone thinks you're a joke now. But hey, no more people thinking you're a hero, no more expectations. Though you might get ridiculed if you ever leave Alynthi without a glamour. So either it's a favor for you or public humiliation at the highest level."

Jared began screaming again, not caring that he tasted blood in his mouth. And he knew Dorian was telling the truth because he was being forced to see images in his head that were clearly memories. And if this were a lie, it would be easy to disprove, so why would he bother?

Dorian watched him curiously. There were sadism and cruelty present in his features, but he almost seemed fascinated by this reaction.

Jared had never been more grateful for Amelia barreling into the house with nothing more than a swift knock.

"Jared, are you okay, I heard a scream—_Dorian_?!" Her eyes widened, and her mouth was agape. She was clearly shocked, coming face-to-face with him.

For a moment, Dorian's expression was blank and lacking any recognition. Then his eyes also widened, before he released Jared and darted out the door faster than even Amelia could react.

To Jared's horror, Amelia chased after the madman. But he didn't care all that much, finding himself breaking down even more now that he knew what Dorian had done.

He curled into a ball in the chair and wept.

...

Amelia chased after Dorian, activating her speed to make sure she caught up with his. Damn. Was she getting old, or was he faster? Well, seeing as she had been under the impression he was gone for a long time, she hadn't seen him since her death back when Eli was three. That was nearly twenty years ago.

She sent a message to Harrison as she ran, letting him know Dorian was here. She knew about the corruption spell over their friend, which blackened his heart and soul to the point the man they knew could very well be gone. After all, it had been twenty-five years since the spell was put in place. But maybe there was a glimmer of hope. He wouldn't be running if he was truly evil.

Turning a sharp corner, Amelia stopped, "Dorian!"

Dorian stopped in his tracks about fifteen paces from her.

"This has to stop now! Whatever it is that you're going through, we'll fix it, just like the good old days."

Dorian's shoulders tensed, "No!" He whirled around, "_This_ has to stop now! This thing where you think that you'd been my friend! It's like the moment I got cursed, and it started acting up, you stopped treating me like a friend and more like someone you were just humoring so you could keep an eye on me!"

Amelia sighed, "Dorian, listen."

"I'm listening."

"I know it isn't true." She took a couple steps forward, with her hands up to show she wasn't going to attack him. She really was trying to get through to her friend she just knew was buried in there somewhere.

"Isn't it?" Dorian snapped, but he was shaking as though he wanted to cry. Amelia remembered what Jared had told her about Dorian's memories being scrambled, so he probably only now remembered this. Or maybe it was the shock she was alive. Or both. Probably both.

"Just look into my eyes, I know you feel it too."

Dorian took a step back, hugging himself in a manner that was either genuine or brilliantly acted, "Maybe...I do."

"Dorian," she smiled, "I swear it's not too late. You can fix this. Before another line gets crossed and everything we've had is lost, just breathe. Take a step back. Come home, Dorian. Once you fix your mistake, things will be okay."

"Okay?" Dorian looked up from the ground, "Nothing will be okay again." He started walking towards her, angrier by the second, "I haven't been okay for over twenty years, Ami! Do you know how lonely it is to be under this curse?!" He started laughing, brokenly, "I'm crossing the line! So get out of my way, 'cause I'm not gonna play by your rules!"

He threw his hand out, and the trees bent to his will, blocking her current path, "Dorian!"

He ran off into the woods, and that was around the time Harrison caught up with her, blasting the branches and chasing after their friend.

Dorian clearly knew they were following him before he jumped into the tree and started talking again,

"There's a line between the winners and the losers. There's a line between the chosen and the rest. In our teen years, I'd done the best I could, but I've always known just where we stood—me there with the luckless, you here with the blessed. And that line between the beggars and the choosers is a line that I've been waiting in forever, and I always felt I had to toe it. Some lines were blurry, some unseen, some I had to learn to read between." He turned to look at them, "But the line you think connects us together? That's a line that I'm not falling for again. Because this time, my eyes are open wide. You were never really on my side. So I'm doing what I should have way back when. I'm crossing the line!"

He hopped down from the trees, throwing his hands out excitedly, reminding them almost of the friend Dorian used to be. But wherever he gestured, glowing chains shot out of the ground. Harrison had to dive to the side to prevent himself from being skewered or imprisoned.

"And I'm done holding back! So look out, clear the track, it's my turn! It's my time to shine! I don't need your 'OK'. If I'm burning a bridge, let it burn, but I'm crossing the line." He jumped down to a small part of the cliffside, walking on the chains as though they were a bridge. Amelia chased after him, walking along the chain-bridge, but coming to a halt about halfway to the other side, since Dorian and whipped out his scythe and was raising it above his head. Dark energy radiating off of him in such a way it was almost as though he was enveloped in it.

"And for us, if we're over, that's fine!"

"Dorian! Wait!"

Dorian looked at her, no emotion in his eyes. He looked drained, done, unwilling to feel anymore. He didn't look insane, just tired. Without a word, he brought his scythe down, slicing through the chains and destroying the bridge. Amelia had to jump into the air and land beside Harrison.

When she looked back, Dorian was gone.

"Mia," Harrison wrapped his arms around her, his head bowed, "We should go check on Jared. Dorian doesn't want to be found. He has his memory back, so hopefully, he'll come around."

"B-But the curse..."

"I'll ask Jared if he wants to help me with a cure. But you know I've been trying for years, nothing I know of can save him. Even my magic tablet has nothing."

They started walking back and saw Alexa was in Jared's house, firmly gripping the boy's shoulders as he had a panic attack.

"Jared, deep breaths, copy me." She went through the motions, and Jared tried to follow her lead, but it was clearly hard to do.

"What did Dorian do?" Harrison asked with a dark expression. Jared's lip quivered a bit, but he didn't answer, merely continuing to cry on the ground. He didn't look any more injured than he had been the night prior.

Nobody here knew what to do about this, so Amelia went to get Kaylee, who clearly wanted Dorian's blood. She bent down beside her brother and hugged him, which calmed him down a little bit.

Amelia stepped outside with Alexa while Harrison went back to his lab to do more research on Dorian's curse.

"I don't understand," Alexa said quietly, "Why is Dad doing this? When I was little, he was so kind. I promised Mom and Opal I'd bring him home, safe and sound. I don't even know if they're alive anymore. And Dad is nowhere near mentally sound."

"Alexandrina," Amelia smiled, "Your father was a kind man. We were classmates, way back when, even friends. But my mother placed a curse over him, to blacken his heart forever. There is no known cure. It's not his fault, but you need to understand the man you knew is not there right now and maybe not ever."

"Cursed?" Alexa bit her lip, "There has to be something we can do!"

"Harrison is trying again to find a cure."

"I'll help! Jared has Kaylee right now, so he won't want me." Alexa ran off, and Amelia sighed.

OoOoO

Dorian clutched his head as he stumbled into his home. Memories kept flooding in and piecing themselves together. He'd lost his mind sixteen years ago and forgot most of his past life. But now he had all of his memories, he knew why Regina cursed him, and he knew he was an idiot for having even tried to take her on since he was doing it to avenge Morrigan who was still alive! He remembered as he slowly drifted away from his friends, because they didn't really care, or that love came with stings of them always asking about his mental state.

If he weren't cursed, he'd be able to understand their thought process for those mistakes. But right now, he was corrupted with hate and thoughts of revenge towards them even more than his desire to spread chaos through the stone wielders. That hate turned to rage, and he ripped his shirt off, looking in the mirror at the black veins on his body, with the source being his heart. He'd wondered for a long time if the curse was going to kill him, but it seemed it hadn't, at least not yet.

To calm himself down, he went to peek into the cyborg boy's mind, relishing that despair from him. The boy's pain was so intense he was thinking about suicide! Oh, that was rich. And his death would bring misery to the rest of the family, and it would be easier to strike!

But of course, he couldn't let bias desires of revenge bring him down. That was what got Kahu and Regina killed. If had to be unbias chaos. This family was going to be the catalyst of the apocalypse, so he was allowed to focus on them. The stone wielders falling would cause terror on a multiverse-wide scale, but that's also what would happen if Zoe and Eli, especially Eli, were to die. And of course, Eli was the son of the people Dorian wanted revenge on...

However, that was the exact reason he couldn't target Eli yet. But he did know from the book of prophecies that one of the weddings vows Eli and Zoe made was that they'd die together. It became an official bargain, so if one died, the other would basically be auto-killed. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

But those children, they were worrisome. The fire-bringer was the least threatening of the four kids, but even she was lethal in every way. The Nephilim was breaking, so it would be easy to send him over the edge if needed. The hanyou was gonna be a problem, especially since she had learned how to force the price of her luck onto a target instead of it being random. But she was a normal human girl the night of the new moon, and she hadn't yet learned to temporarily shift into full yokai. But the ghost boy...able to be invisible, intangible, and was utterly immune to psychic powers. When he used his powers, he was unbeatable, and it was as though he didn't exist at all until he ripped your throat out. He indeed was the son of a Worldbender and a Blackwell Warlock; and his blindness was his only drawback, and he had long since gotten used to it.

Dorian continued to ponder his options. Elaine's soul was stored in a box in his kitchen while she played his game. Her body, now a darkling, was sent to spy on the family. So could he turn someone else into one? He really needed an outlet for his rage right now and remembering that there was a way too OP child out there just made him angrier.

He also found himself surprised he was thinking rationally. He was always thinking logically when he hadn't snapped, but he'd assumed his rage would have made reasoning through things impossible. Perhaps it was the high of getting his memories back or that tiny piece of who he used to be, longing to go home and have a family again.

He clenched his fists so tight there were little half-moons on his palms that released droplets of blood. He hated this feeling. Thinking clearly was...no fun. Yeah, no fun. Not painful at all.

Dorian rubbed his eyes and put a sweater on, throwing on his jacket as well. Might as well go get a drink from the tavern. Either he could drink his thoughts away, or use the bartender as that desperately needed outlet for his rage. Either way, he'd be satisfied.

Scheming was for tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Coming Home**

"Get outta the High and Dry," Joselyn growled. "I won't tell you again." She wiped the blood from her mouth, the vampires in front of her licking their lips hungrily. One of them raised their rapier, to which Joselyn shrugged. "Not how I expected my little vacation to Ixalan to go, but okay." She raised her own weapons, a flintlock pistol and a cutlass taken off the body of a pirate the vampires had drained.

"These men are traitors to the Church of Torrezon and must be eradicated for their heresy against Saint Elenda," one of the vampires hissed.

"I've been face to face with Elenda. She wouldn't like this. Though, you kinda screwed yourselves."

"Huh?"

"Sangromancy and a stomach full of blood? Yeah, not a good mix." Joselyn fired the flintlock, taking off one of the vampire's heads while copying another's sangromancy, moving the ingested blood around inside the soldiers of the Legion of Dusk. One vampire stumbled to the edge of the dock and threw up, the others pointing their weapons at the girl and charging at her. She springboarded off a nearby wall, her cutlass cleanly removing the arm of an attacker and plowing into the gut of another. She wished she hadn't left her sural in her room at the inn, instead needing to take more time twisting the blade to pull upward, slicing the vampire in half. She disarmed one and took off the leg of another in one swing, and then pulled the blood from their stomachs, twisting it into the shape of dozens of solid crimson blades all coming down on the vampires before splashing into puddles of harmless red liquid. The pirates of the High and Dry cheered as she rolled the now dismembered bodies of the vampires into the sea, several captains offering her food, gold, or positions in their crew. She ignored them as she strode back to the _Belligerent_, where the famous Captain Vraska stood on the bow, looking at Joselyn with an impressed smile. The crew welcomed her aboard, much to the envy of the other onlooking pirate captains, and she followed Vraska down to the captain's quarters.

...

"So, you know Jace Beleren?" Vraska asked.

"We talked a bit about a year ago when Nicol Bolas attacked Ravnica," Joselyn told her.

"Did he mention anything about me?"

"He believed there was still good in you, despite you having murdered Isperia in cold blood and then running off. That really says something given how he talked about Liliana. She had done something similar, but against her own will, and he treated her as if she was a waste of oxygen that needed to be gotten rid of. I mean, she did also lead a massive army of undead to Ravnica to destroy it so that Nicol Bolas could gain even more power, but hey, c'est la vie." Joselyn shrugged.

"Jace always was more than a little stubborn. Now, why exactly are you here?"

"Because Liliana isn't the monster Jace and most other people believe her to be. I saw her defy Bolas and forfeit her life in the process with my own two eyes. And now she's being hunted for actions she was forced into performing. I want to find and help her before Kaya can find and kill her. Sources led me to Ixalan, specifically to one Captain Lannery Storm. She left the High and Dry a few days ago. Do you think you can find her?"

"Storm is a slippery weasel who's constantly up to no good. I might be able to track her, but no guarantee that I'm the best emissary. She and I don't exactly see eye to eye since I incited a mutiny aboard a few of the ships in her fleet and took those that they hadn't killed or stranded as members of my own crew. Believe me, the only person I know who can hold a grudge better than Storm is the minotaur Angrath."

"Oh, I've met him too."

"You really are well versed, aren't you? I'll track down Storm and take you to her, for a price. And no guarantee that she won't immediately fire on us."

"Eh, I'm kinda used to shoot-first-ask-later people at this point."

…

As Vraska had predicted, the Storm Fleet had opened fire on them the moment they were in range. The one saving grace that kept them from getting sunk on the spot was that Storm had primarily goblins on the artillery, and they were all terrible shots. Joselyn dropped a small rowboat down into the water to approach the head ship, Vraska and her navigator, a siren by the name of Malcolm, accompanied her. "How well does this girl pay for putting us in firing range of the one fleet that can't stand us?" Malcolm asked.

"She pays very well," Vraska assured him. "She's promised us enough gold that I've decided to translate most of it into two more ships."

"Starting to establish a fleet of our own off of one payment? That does seem good. But what does the crew get?"

"About the equivalent of four times our last plunder, per person." Malcolm's eyes lit up at the thought of that much gold.

"How does someone even get that wealthy?"

"I have my sources," Joselyn said with a smirk.

"You always seem to find the most mysterious patrons, Captain. First Lord Nicholas, now her." The siren gestured to Joselyn.

"She's not the only one with outside sources," Vraska replied with a chuckle. "Now, you two remember the plan?"

"I'm supposed to provide lookout and make sure that your little talk goes uninterrupted," Malcolm began. "You're posing as transport for the girl, and she's the one with all the questions."

"Correct. Joselyn, please be aware that there is only one form of diplomacy that Storm and her fleet will accept if you make a wrong move."

"I'm skilled in the art of sword-point diplomacy. One of the reasons I'm so wealthy."

"All that's ever gotten me is a few bruises on the back of my head," Malcolm muttered. This got a hearty laugh out of his fellow passengers.

…

The trio stepped out of the rowboat and onto the deck of the much larger ship. A tall, slender young woman with olive skin, brown hair in shaggy braided locks, surprisingly perfect teeth, and a large leather duster coat and hat stepped down to greet them. Joselyn couldn't help but notice the numerous weapons she had on her, sitting in full display with easy access. "Why hello there, Captain Vraska," she said, her voice welcoming, but her smile displaying contempt and wickedness. "To what do I have the pleasure of hosting this visit? Looking to turn the rest of my crew?"

"I'm not here for anything other than to chauffeur a client. She's the one with all the questions. So you can have your orcs stand down, Storm," Vraska said, her voice almost guttural.

"Fine." Storm waved her hand, and the surrounding pirates relaxed. The captain held her hand out to Joselyn, who took it warily. "Captain Lannery Storm, and you?"

"Adelina Brock."

"Well, Ms. Brock, what is it you need from me that would have you crawling to that traitorous gorgon to find me?"

"Rumor has it that you are housing a person of great interest aboard one of your ships. A woman by the name of Liliana Vess. I need to speak with her."

"Mmmh, yeah, sorry nope. No can do, miss. That woman has a high bounty on her head in Torrezon."

"So do you."

"Beside the point. I'm not just going to hand over the most valuable asset I have just because you asked nicely."

"I never said I was taking her. I just want to talk to her."

"Yeaaah can't risk it. I got a fleet to manage and I can't let someone go galavanting off with my prize."

"Well, I'll give you a choice then. I'm going to talk to Liliana, one way or another. So we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Hard way it is," Storm said as she drew her sword, blood still staining the cutlass's blade. Joselyn reached out for an ability to copy, finding a powerful one quickly. Storm moved in on her, but turned to stone as Joselyn made eye contact. She then turned her gaze to the stunned crew, each one suffering the same fate as their captain. She let the magic fade before turning to Malcolm and Vraska, beaming with pride.

"I'd like to add a fully crewed fleet to my end of the deal."

"What was that?" Malcolm asked.

"The easy way."

"That was the easy way?"

"Yeah, easy for me." Malcolm laughed.

"You truly are something else, Ms. Brock."

…

After anything of value had been moved from Storm's ship to the _Belligerent_ and the fleet informed of the change in leadership, Vraska ordered the old headship to be sunk, Storm and her petrified crew still aboard. The fleet, now the Stone fleet, seemed more than happy to oblige their new captain. Once that was taken care of, Joselyn asked around to find which ship Liliana was stored on, only to find she had disappeared days ago. The guard saw her vanish in a purple shimmer and was too afraid to tell Captain Storm about it. Back to square one. She thanked Vraska for her help and hospitality, paying her in full before heading off for a new plane.

OoOoO

Two years had passed since Ravnica. Two years exactly. Two years since Gideon's sacrifice. The man everyone looked up to immortalized in marble on his home plane of Theros, the monument sitting just outside the pantheon of the gods. A larger-than-life statue of Gideon giving his oath, just like he had at Sea Gate all those years ago. Engraved on the front of the pedestal were four simple words: "I will keep watch." Almost every planeswalker who had been on Ravnica that day had come to visit the monument at some point. Even the stuck-up Davriel Cane had come to pay his respects. But today, only a few people stood around the monument: Chandra, Nissa, Jace, Saheeli, Huatli, and Joselyn. They lit candles and laid flowers around the statue, Chandra sobbing onto Nissa's shoulder as the memories of the tragic event came flooding back.

"Why is it the best of us that always have to die first?" Saheeli asked.

"Gideon, Ajani, Jaya, Teferi, Karn, Lavinia, Yanggu, Yanling, Arlinn, Dack, Tamiyo, Kiora" Jace listed off, "and those are just the people we know. Everyone lost a lot that day. Hard to believe that it's already been two years. It seems like just yesterday."

"Let's not forget the young boy Teyo," Huatli added.

"Joselyn, you were tracking Liliana, correct?" Nissa asked.

"Yeah," Joselyn responded. "Not much progress, though. The closest I've gotten was catching a glimpse of her in the streets of Ardenvale on Eldraine. That was four months ago."

"As much as I despise her," Chandra began, "I hope you catch her before Kaya. I want to roast her myself."

Jace sighed. "Chandra, we've been over this. We didn't have the full story. Liliana wasn't the villain. She was willing to die to stop Nicol Bolas in the end, and is only alive because of Gideon."

"Can I still roast her at least a little?"

"Ugh, fine. Minor burns." Chandra smiled, seeming to be trying to contain a happy dance. Even at twenty-five, she had the maturity of a ten year old at times.

"We best be going," Saheeli stated after a few seconds of silence. "Grand Consul Nalaar is bringing back the Inventor's Fair, and Huatli and I need to finalize our design for the Etherium Ripjaw." She linked arms with the dinosaur knight and the two waved goodbye as they planeswalked back to Kaladesh.

"Yeah, I should probably do the same," Jace sighed. "I've left Ral unattended for too long, and Niv-Mizzet is too busy keeping the Rakdos cult in check to pay attention to the tank Ral's building for joyrides through Rubblebelt."

"Well, see you soon," Nissa said as the mind mage returned to Ravnica.

"And where are you two going to run off to?" Joselyn asked.

"We're finishing up our honeymoon on Lorwyn," Nissa said cheerfully.

"Oh, uh, congratulations."

"Well, this is the first time since Ravnica that Chandra's stayed in one place for longer than a week. She's been busy trying to play hero after all of that, despite her bad knee."

"Can we maybe not talk about that?" Chandra asked. "Dealing with Tibalt was bad enough, I don't really want to relive it."

"Then don't come by my family, otherwise you'll have far worse to deal with," Joselyn chuckled.

"We'll keep that in mind," Nissa said. The two waved goodbye and planeswalked away, leaving only Joselyn in front of Gideon's monument. She turned back to the monument.

"If only you could see how far we've all come," she sighed. "I think you'd be proud of us, if not a little peeved at Chandra." The marble face, despite its peaceful and confident smile, seemed to be chastising her. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I kinda lied to Jason and Syllia. Huatli seems to have forgotten, do you think they have too?"

"How would I know," a voice said from behind her, causing Joselyn's hairs to stand on end. "I've been busy doing the same thing you have been."

"What do you want, Kaya?"

"Well, for starters, I want to find Liliana. The dragon asked me to find and kill her two years ago. But as you know, she's elusive. Also, please stop looking for her. I don't trust that you will surrender her to me."

"Well, you got that right, but I'm not stopping." She tensed as she heard Kaya unsheath a knife.

"I'm not asking." Kaya ran at Joselyn, who still had her back to her. Just as her blade was about to connect, Joselyn leapt into the air, somersaulting through the air, performing a classic superhero landing and flicking her wrist to activate her sural.

"Yeah, Deadpool was right. That is hard on the knees." Regardless, she rushed Kaya, able to knock her back in surprise. The ghost assassin only stayed down for a second before she was swinging a knife at Joselyn's leg. The teen retaliated, moving to slam her shoulder into Kaya's chest. Kaya went incorporeal in response, cause Joselyn to stumble uselessly through her. Kaya leapt into the air, a dagger in each hand glowing purple with her magic. Acting fast, Joselyn copied Kaya's phasing, making the blades harmless. "I'm not sure why you don't just fight like this."

"You'll see why." Kaya ducked as a corporeal fist almost made contact with her face, and then Joselyn dropped to her knees, becoming fully corporeal as she clutched her chest. "My heart stops when I do that. Same thing happened to you."

"I knew that," Joselyn said smugly as she flipped back, her boot connecting with Kaya's chin, pulling her up before gravity had its way and she smacked to the ground with an audible thud. Joselyn walked over to Kaya, making sure she was both unconscious and mostly unharmed before taking her blades and planeswalking away.

OoOoO

Four months after her run-in with Kaya, and Joselyn was searching harder than ever. Her hunt had brought her to the last place she ever wanted to go: Innistrad. This plane was nothing like the cheery Quantic Innistrad that Sam had taken to living on. No, this place was far more horrid. Only a small group of angels stood between humans and the creatures of the night, as this world had humans placed much lower on the food chain. The only things here she could rely on were a few of her more limited senses. The werewolves were far more ferocious after the loss of Arlinn Kord, the geists and zombies were forever a problem, and Sorin Markov had stopped managing the vampires as he once had. It was the closest thing she could think of to hell. Of course, it was also a necromancer's playground, making it the ideal place for Liliana to hide. Unsure of where to start, she looked in the most secluded area she could find, The Approaches in Kessig. The people lead her to a small town known as Verlasen, a place that had experienced strange things several years ago and something similar the past few days. As good a place as any to start.

…

When she heard Verlasen was small, she wasn't expecting it to be this small. The total population couldn't have been more than fifty. Even the smaller settlements in the Gavony township had more than five hundred people in them. As it was, it wasn't difficult to meet everyone in the town, with the final person she came across in a small wooden hut at the start of the road leading up to the bog being none other than the person she desired to meet, Liliana Vess. "I already said, I'm not looking to get cleansed by Sigarda," she called to Joselyn before opening the door. "So you and your cathars can-" she stopped as she flung the door open and laid eyes on Joselyn. She was wearing the traditional clothes of a slayer, and given the hole in the chest with dried blood crusted around it, Joselyn had an idea of where it came from. "Sorry. The damn church keeps trying to convert me. They usually go for Davriel, but a few come to my place specifically. You've grown," she said as she gestured Joselyn inside. There wasn't much, just a bed, a trunk, a small table that looked like something Eli would have built with a stool in similar condition, and a woodfire stove.

"Not wearing the usual silks?" Joselyn asked.

"I know it seems odd for me to say something like this, but I didn't want to stand out."

"Yeah, a purple gown and gold tiara would definitely do that."

"So, why are you here?"

"I've actually been looking for you for a while."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, trying to get to you before Kaya."

"Oh, Kaya's better with ghosts. She's running around like a headless chicken trying to find me, with absolutely no progress. Now, why did you _really_ come to see me?"

"..."

"I see. Very well. If I'm being honest, I could use the company. Fair warning, I'm not a very good cook, the town isn't very fond of me, and there isn't enough space for both of us on the bed."

"I've had worse living conditions. Uh, how often does Sorin come around here?"

"The self proclaimed Lord of Innistrad couldn't give a hoot about backwater settlements like this one. If he's ever back here, it's because someone dragged him out here, and there's nobody who could drag him here that wouldn't have at least twenty much better places to drag him."

"Good. I kinda pissed him off the last time I was here."

"How so?"

"I accidentally turned a few of the vampires against each other, which got the angels involved and left a bloodbath that only Olivia Voldaren and Sigarda survived. He wasn't too happy about that and kinda sorta wantsmyheadonastake." Liliana just stood there, mouth slightly agape.

"I've fought Sorin, and lost, but never anything that gruesome. Well, nothing that gruesome here at least."

"Yeah, let's call it hereditary batshit crazy bad luck."

"Well, you're safe here. Make yourself at home." She reached over and grabbed a small leather stringbag. "I need to go buy something to fix for dinner. I'll need a little extra seeing as I have company. Any preferences?"

"I'm not super picky. Though, I'm not sure if anything will ever beat the lamb's leg I had at Ardenvale, even if it didn't survive the trip when I had to flee."

"Why did you have to run?"

"A girl named Gizmo. Let's just say that she wants me to go somewhere I don't ever want to go back to. I'd rather not go into detail."

"I understand. I'll see if they have any pork. A pork roast is the one thing I'm actually good at making."

"Can't wait to try it."

…

Liliana was in luck. One of the farmers had just slaughtered one of his largest hog and had plenty of meat for sale. She quickly purchased a couple of pounds along with some vegetables and spices and started heading back to her cabin when she something caught her eye. An unusual carriage was parked in front of Cane's Manor. Curious, she followed the trail up to the manor just in time to see the occupants of the carriage talking with Davriel at the door. Crouching in the bushes, she strained to hear what was being said. "I am aware you are hunting the necromancer, Ms. Kaya. But she is a resident on my land and I am willingly offering her asylum, meaning your dragon's claim has no power here," the Man of the Manor stated. She heard Kaya huff.

"Do you know what she did on Ravnica? She deserves to be punished."

"Yes, I am fully aware of Ms. Vess's actions. You forget that I too was present on Ravnica during its siege. I bore witness to the atrocities of the Eternals. But I am an understanding man who is also aware of what Ms. Vess did later in the fight. If not for her, We all may very well have been defeated. As I see it, Ms. Vess is one of the many people we owe our lives too. As long as she doesn't stir up trouble or draw attention, I am willing to shelter her here. You best be gone before I ask one of my demons to rid me of you." A third person cleared his throat as Davriel finished.

"You, Lord Cane, seem to forget who holds the power on Innistrad," the unmistakable voice of Sorin Markov gruffly threatened. "I myself am not looking for conflict, much like you, but Ms. Kaya is rather adamant about claiming Liliana."

"There's also the matter of the girl looking for her," Kaya brought up.

"I believe I know who you're talking about. I had the displeasure of experiencing the results of her persuasiveness and stubbornness a while back. If she was ever to venture into The Approaches, I can assure you, Lord Cane, you would never be able to rid yourself of the attention she would draw."

"I do believe I know who you speak of," Davriel pondered, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, yes, a young girl who was also present on Ravnica. Cute little thing, a little too flashy for comfort."

"Rumor has it that she is currently in Verlasen."

"I assume both of you have agendas with her as well?" Kaya and Sorin visibly nodded. "Then I'll strike you a deal."

"Given your track record, I'm not sure I could trust it to benefit us," Kaya said, her voice oozing with accusation.

"Do not be so quick to judge, Ms. Kaya. My offer is really quite simple. The two of you leave Ms. Vess alone in exchange for getting to clear the girl out of my land, ensuring none of the three of you come back to stir up trouble. Do with her as you like, so long as you leave me alone."

"We have a deal," Sorin said, shaking hands with Davriel. Liliana gasped. They were going to kill Joselyn just so that a few people could feel a sense of justice? Sure, she had killed before, but never for something so petty. The thought sent her reeling, and she didn't notice that she had caught the trio's attention. Sorin sniffed the air before whispering something to Kaya, the two of them loading into the carriage and setting off. Liliana turned and ran back to her cabin. She had to warn Joselyn. She had gotten to know the girl for all of five minutes in total and she already felt obliged to protect her.

_Stupid Gideon getting into my head_, she thought.

…

Joselyn sprawled out on the bed as she listened to the cracking of the fire in the stove. The mattress was lumpy and sagged a bit, but it was certainly better than nothing. She thought about how far she had come, two and a half years of searching for Liliana, to find a potential mentor and friend, to escape from the hell that was her home life and to avoid the confrontation that everything and everyone she had once held dear was no more. Now she was starting anew. She had the Gatewatch, Jason and Syllia, Saheeli and Huatli, an open invitation from four different guilds back on Ravnica, and a potential new place to call home. Of course, she also had to be awkward in her first greeting, just standing there speechless as she was asked why she had come. She looked to her gauntlet, a piece of metal forged from her commision on Theros and designed to match her sural, even being made of the same material. She had requested it to be able to use as a magical shield, summoning a protective barrier as needed, but in truth it was a barrier for something else. It covered the word on her arm, that despicable word Iku had forced her to carve into herself. It felt like forever since that had happened, and for once, that feeling was rather accurate. She had all but forgotten that day thanks to her travels, and with her one reminder of it constantly covered up, the gauntlet and sural never being removed even to bathe, she was able to live without that burden. As the fire roared and the sound of a wolf's howl echoed into the cabin from the Ulvenwald, Joselyn smiled. For the first time since she could remember, she was truly happy. Of course, Liliana had to ruin the moment, knocking the door open and hastily dropping the meat and produce on the table to pull Joselyn out of bed. "What the hell?!" the young girl exclaimed, irritated by the sudden roughness.

"I'll explain on the way, but we need to get you out of here. First, something a little more functional." The necromancer threw open a closet Joselyn had failed to notice since she arrived, revealing the silk purple dress with black boots and golden embroidery, and her signature golden tiara. Liliana quickly changed, her dress not fitted quite right, but she didn't seem to care. Instead, she ushered Joselyn out of the cabin and down the road, away from The Approaches. They ran for what felt like an eternity before Liliana let them stop to catch their breath. Once they did, she explained everything. Joselyn could only stare in shock. Yes, she was glad Liliana would be safe, at least, would have been, no guarantee now that she helped Innistrad's Most Wanted. And that bit irked her. One slip of the tongue, that was it, and now Sorin wanted her dead. All this time, all these battles, and the backlash of an event she indirectly and unintentionally instigated would likely be the end of her. Sure, she had fought a god, but Sorin Markov was far more fearsome, a being from the times of old when planeswalkers were gods among men. Even at only a fraction of that power, the thought of facing him unnerved her more than the idea of doing battle with a thousand Rhonases.

"You shouldn't have helped me," she said after taking a minute to process the new information. Liliana looked confused.

"You have the most powerful creature on all of Innistrad hunting you while living under my roof. Of course I'm going to help you. After all, you're also the only one who will believe me about my role on Ravnica. It's. . . nice to have someone to confide in, I've learned."

"So what, help me in a have-each-others-backs manner?"

"And because it seems like the right thing to do."

"No offense, but that sounds a little odd coming from you."

"I'm sure it does," Liliana chuckled as her face fell to the sound of hooves thundering down the dirt road. She turned to see Sorin's carriage approaching them, the vampire himself holding the reigns.

"You should go," Joselyn urged.

"No, I-"

"I'm not taking no for an answer. Go home. I'll be fine." Liliana nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. Joselyn could tell that there was another reason she wanted to help. Liliana saw herself in Joselyn, and wanted to prevent her from making the same choices she did that made her life miserable. A touching sentiment, but one that she decided to dwell on later. As Sorin stepped down from the now motionless carriage, she reached out to Liliana, copying her much stronger and more refined necromancy to use in tandem with her weaker version, smiling internally as she looked at the graveyards on either side of the road.

"You have a lot of nerve coming her, girl, after the ruckus you caused on your last visit," Sorin boomed.

"Yup, I'm all kinds of stubborn," Joselyn chuckled. "Must be genetic." Sorin snarled and drew his sword.

"I promised to end you the next time you set foot on Innistrad. And I intend to make good on that promise." His blade glinted in the moonlight as he started towards her. Joselyn thrusted her hands out towards the graveyards, and in an instant, an army of undead was risen and at her command. They grouped around her like dozens of foul-smelling bodyguards, simple weapons like lumber axes and pitchforks raised. Sorin roared as he ran into the mass of bodies, slicing through them with speed and ease, his blade a shimmer of light doused in the old blood of Innistrad's buried dead. Keeping two of the undead at her side, Joselyn ran, following the road to the Bog. She could hear Sorin's boots on the packed dirt behind her. The Bog was closer than she realized as she arrived in no time. Whipping around to look at the vampire, she noticed the malice in his eyes. Death at his hand would not be pleasant, and he didn't seem like the kind of person to sit around if she ran away from Innistrad. She decided to take the path of least resistance, the one that would lead to the least amount of suffering and pain. Sorin moved closer, but he was still too far back to do the deed that Joselyn commanded one of her zombies to do. The risen farmer plunged his pitchfork into Joselyn's chest, blood spraying from the wounds as the tignes exited through her back. Her eyes fluttered as her limp body slid off the pitchfork,splashing into the Bog and sinking to its depths. Their commander no longer holding onto them, the zombies dropped, becoming lifeless bodies once more. Sorin only snorted in annoyance and turned to leave.

OoOoO

Three years had passed since Ravnica. It was such a distant memory at this point that the traumatic memories it had given everyone were now only sore spots in the mind. Everyone had finally moved on and rebuilt their lives. For some, that still meant fighting. Chandra, Huatli, and Joselyn all gathered in Huatli and Saheeli's shared apartment in the Weldfast district, the three forming a plan to stop a creature that had been rampaging through the multiverse for the past week. "Is Saheeli going to be joining us?" Chandra asked.

"She's a little preoccupied," Huatli replied. "They're finalizing the paperwork that will officially make Saheeli the new Consul of Innovation after the passing of Padeem last month."

"I'm surprised it took that long. Padeem was old when my _mom_ was born!"

"Vedalkens have a much longer lifespan than humans," Joselyn said. "They're like the sea turtles of the multiverse."

"If a sea turtle had triple its lifespan," Huatli added.

"So, Chandra, what did you find?"

"This creature, I'm not sure what it's called other than a sort of angry sand-sludge thing, is moving rather quickly. It needs to rest every so often, though. Jace predicted that its next pitstop is going to be on a little backwater plane called Alynthi. He says the place looks decent and Ral told me that the locals are. . . colorful, to put it lightly."

"Sounds fun," Joselyn muttered. "Always a treat to meet new people who try to kick you out screaming hellfire and bloody murder after you save their asses."

"The creature, which I'm going to call the Blob for ease, will only be there for about a half hour, which gives us a fairly short window. Huatli, we're going to need you to keep it at bay. Joselyn, you're lookout, or god-summoner if it comes to that."

"I take it you plan to kill it?" Huatli said.

"Correct. If I read correctly, it has a sort of magical core that will kill it if destroyed. I'm going for that. So, it'll be on Alynthi any minute now."

"Then let's go," Joselyn said, hopping up from the soft leather recliner. "Time's a wastin'."

…

The dimensions of Alynthi were unpredicted. They had all arrived three feet above the ground, and Chandra had materialized above a lake, getting completely soaked in seconds. Joselyn and Huatli both failed in their attempts to stifle a laugh at her misfortune, numerous giggles escaping them. Chandra glared as she stomped past them, hands and hair steaming as they ignited. She lowered her goggles over her eyes as a loud buzzing sound resonated through the field, the Blob coming into form. It too had to suffer through the three feet problem, its weight shaking the earth below as it landed. Joselyn flicked her sural open and raised her barrier gauntlet, ready for battle. As she looked at the creature, she had an idea of how to stop it. "Chandra, how hot can you get?"

"Oh, just ask Nissa," she said playfully. "When the armor comes off-"

"CHANDRA!" Joselyn scolded. The pyromancer sighed as Huatli facepalmed. Chandra turned to the Blob, torching it with two jets of white-hot fire. The inferno sent the creature reeling, a solidified chunk of it falling to the ground and shattering.

"That works," Huatli encouraged. "Keep it up." And keep up Chandra did, almost being right on top of the Blob as she kept it in a continuous blaze, large pieces of alien glass falling to the ground The creature shrieked, attempting to lash out. Luckily, Joselyn was faster than the Blob, able to move her shield in front of Chandra and then Huatli before it could reach them. Chandra continued to blast it until all that was left was a small purple swirl, a charcoal black sphere in the center. Huatli sliced the sphere in half, pale liquid squirting from it as she did. Chandra fell to her knees panting.

"It's been a bit since I used a continuous flame like that," she said. "I also forgot my knee brace and cane."

"You never remember them," Huatli groaned. "It's no wonder it ended up as bad as it is. You're lucky you only have a mild limp and occasional dull pain."

"You sound like Nissa."

"Saheeli's done similar things. Severe carpal tunnel. There's a home over there. I'll see if the residents will let us stay for a bit while you rest."

"Yeah. Yeah, a nap sounds nice." Joselyn hoisted Chandra up, putting her arm over her shoulder to support her. "Question. Did you ever find Liliana?"

"Yeah, I did," Joselyn answered. "And thanks to Sorin, everyone on Innistrad thinks I'm dead. Given how the visit went, I'd like to keep it that way."

"Why do they think you're dead?"

"Let's just say even the most powerful beings can be fooled by a simple illusion." Chandra chuckled at the thought.

They reached the home Huatli had mentioned, a grand manor with intricate symbols and stonework. The dinosaur knight knocked on the door, and a man with brown and silver hair answered. "Hi. How can I help you?" he asked.

"Oh shit," Joselyn muttered, her eyes wide with fear.

The Carpenter family always manages to draw you back in.

**A/N: How's it, Driver3196 here. Just wrapping up Joselyn's little adventure. Yes, it may be rude to break someone's toy and then give it back to them without repairing it, but Carly doesn't seem to mind. Besides, whether Joselyn likes it or not, she's home, and that's what y'all want, right? Well, let the screaming reviews commence. **

**But before I go, I'm going to take this opportunity to give some shameless self promotion that will probably get removed. If you're a fan of Magic The Gathering, specifically Chandra, head over to my stories and check out Blood Moon, a story about a high school Chandra who has her world paranormally thrown on its head, or Heartfire, a What-If story that features some of my own characters(and later a few characters that you all love from this series) in a new adventure on Kaladesh.**

** That's all from me, so I'll see you next time. Driver out.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: A weird family reunion**

Joselyn and Eli stared at each other silently for a few moments. Joselyn knew full well that he was most certainly alerting Zoe down their bond about who had arrived, and it was going to be two minutes tops before there was screaming, and the Carpenter bullshit would envelop her once again.

"J-Joselyn...?" Eli exhaled, a hand over his mouth. He then hugged her tightly, and Joselyn was trying to planeswalk away, only to realize an enchantment or _something_ was preventing her from easily doing so. Almost as though a wall was in place, where things could come from the Blind Eternities, but not get out again. A trap for her, maybe? If so, it was clever. Or perhaps it was just Eli and Harrison's paranoia due to the bad luck curse they had both inherited. Either way, she was getting war flashbacks of the Immortal Sun.

"H...Hey, Eli."

"Joselyn?!" _Fuck_.

Zoe appeared, wearing her pajamas, but at least she looked decently modest because Joselyn had honestly expected her older sister to be topless or something. At her side was a young boy who Joselyn quickly identified as probably Amhar. It was amazing and painful, how much the boy of unknown lineage looked like Jared.

It took a second, but Joselyn was released from Eli's hug and forced into Zoe's, "Joselyn! You're home!"

"I feel like I'm missing some context here," Chandra said, and Huatli nodded her agreement.

"Well..." Joselyn squeaked out, "Sis, can you let go? I can't breathe." Zoe let go, and...this was it. The moment she had been dreading for years. She should have known to at least suspect when Chandra mentioned the people who lived here were colorful that maybe, just maybe, it referred to her family, but she had been so careful over the years to avoid this confrontation. She didn't want to see Camille after Joselyn herself was the indirect cause of Jared's death. Or to get that confirmation that Kelly, her father, who had loved her unconditionally to the point he was willing to let Jared fill the role...was dead. For all these years, she'd had a glimmer of hope he somehow survived.

"Chandra, Huatli...meet Eli...and Zoe...my older sister."

"What?!" Chandra looked at Zoe and back at Joselyn, "I can see it. You two look quite alike." Zoe didn't pay them much heed, too busy with the fact her sister had appeared at her front door.

"Oh! Come on in. Sorry, autumn is a weird time since we don't have a person in charge of that. Eli's a cytomancer primarily, so he's obviously in charge of wintertime."

"The seasons don't change on their own?" Huatli asked, and Zoe limped off to a button on the wall. Amhar looked at the two newcomers with a smile, but he didn't say a word. Did he not speak? Joselyn remembered him being a quiet baby, but now he was old enough to speak.

She tried again to planeswalk away, only to sense multiple familiar magical signatures.

"Zoe... what's with the thing preventing planeswalking?" When she said that, Huatli and Chandra both tried, only to fail as well. All three had horrified expressions as memories of Ravnica, and the Immortal Sun hit them all.

Zoe turned from the button she had just pressed, "Oh, it's a safety precaution. And it doesn't _prevent_ planeswalking, just makes it a little more difficult, because the last thing I want is someone getting flung into that place. And there are other ways besides the Blind Eternities to travel. Why?"

"Safety precaution?" Huatli asked, "From what? We had no problem getting in, but it's the getting out that's the issue."

"Oh, let's just say this family is used to getting our home blown up by whatever evil wants to attack this year. Last time, we didn't have the barrier, and my son's wings were crippled. Before that, my sister died and got resurrected...wrong... We've had multiple issues with the Blind Eternities, not to mention our seer had a vision of one of us getting thrown in there in the next couple months."

None of the three planeswalkers had time to talk before a pad lit up, and a bunch of people was in a pile, swearing loudly.

"I told you not to try using the warp pad with all of it, Dani!" One voice shouted, earning a snappy response,

"What do you want me to say? Aunt Joselyn's home!" A silver-haired girl managed to wriggle out of the pile, and Hana kicked someone in the face and rolled out as well.

After about two minutes of cursing, the people managed to get out of the pile, and all hugged Joselyn,

"Aunt Joselyn!" Joselyn now knew the kids were Roxas, Aelin, and Danielle. They'd grown quite a bit since she'd seen them last. But...

"Where's Felix?" There was tense silence before Harrison sighed,

"We... Let's just say losing you was hard. Eli went to another coven to find help locating you, but the matron was a cruel woman who took advantage of how Kahu weakened us. She threatened to start a war unless we gave her daughter Felix's hand in marriage. For a year and a half, we've managed to use trickery to stop him from saying his vows, but..."

Joselyn's stomach dropped. She had known at least Gizmo was looking for her, but she didn't think her family would go to others for help. Guilt squeezed her heart painfully.

_If I'd just told them I was okay, then maybe Felix wouldn't be..._

Chandra looked at Harrison, who was sending her an odd look, as though he was trying to place her. After a moment, though, he gave up. Joselyn noticed the pyromancer was clearly stuck in memories of Ravnica. And if she didn't currently have bigger fish to fry, she would be right there with her. Well, maybe she could use this as an excuse to leave? Because she understood Zoe's thought process, having seen firsthand what happened to Felix and Eden, but she also understood planeswalker PTSD. Her family prioritized the safety of their own above all else, and trying to stop them would inevitably lead to severe violence. And seeing as Eli could blow up planets and only break a small sweat, and was extremely protective of his wife, things did not look good for a weakened Chandra.

She didn't realize she had spaced out until she felt a tiny hand on her forearm. Amhar was staring at her curiously, holding some food on a plate and handing it to her.

Eli had given Chandra a blanket and some water and gestured for Huatli to sit.

"So, tell me about yourselves," he said kindly, "And how you met Joselyn. We've been looking for her since she vanished while we were battling an enemy of ours."

"We met on Ravnica," Chandra muttered bitterly, "Where the Immortal Sun prevented us from leaving. Call your barrier what you will, it still does the same thing. If we start calling the Immortal Sun the Pretty Ixalan Rock, that doesn't mean it didn't still trap us in a living hell that most of us didn't walk away from."

"For the last fucking time," Joselyn sucked in a breath as Zoe started getting angry, "There. Are. Other. Ways. To. Fucking. Travel. _Besides the Blind Eternities!_ And it's not even _preventing_ travel, just preventing more goddamn accidents! So how dare you come into my home and tell me to risk my children's lives because of your PTSD for something I didn't even know about! Dude, it takes like two seconds to get around it!"

"That's beside the point!" Chandra stood up, "Take it down!"

"Can't. There were six people involved in putting it up, we all have to mutually agree to take it down, and two of those people were negatively affected, so the odds of them agreeing is basically zero."

Chandra's hair lit up, "Not like I'd give them much choice." Joselyn expected Zoe to kill Chandra then and there...

But it was _Eli_ who had Chandra against the wall in seconds, ice dancing around his fingers.

"My mate and I let you into our home, and this is how you thank us? I don't know what you've been through, but I know better than anyone what PTSD is like. Though here's the thing, Chandra, there is no malice behind the barrier we have, and you threatening to force my son and sister-in-law to get past their own PTSD for the sake of yours to horseshit."

Joselyn couldn't take it anymore, "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" Everyone froze in place, turning to look at her, the majority of them concerned. She clenched her fists to stop herself from crying, "W-We just came here to kill a monster. I didn't know the residents were you guys...but please, don't fight. Chandra, Eli's right when he says he knows PTSD. Eli, the Immortal Sun... was brutal. You're both right, so can you please just accept you have different views?"

"Agreed." Joselyn saw Alexa leaning against the wall, "Speaking as someone who was on Ravnica and dealt with the Immortal Sun, I don't mind the barrier at all. Though I also don't care about what happened, and don't use the Blind Eternities to travel."

"Wait, what?" Everyone looked at her in either shock or horror. How could someone not care about what happened on Ravnica? Alexa shrugged,

"Fine. I didn't want anyone to know. Still, I might as well reveal I'm a planeswalker since I would rather we just celebrate Joselyn's return instead of having someone get roasted, or Chandra get her heart literally ripped out of her chest by Roxas." In response, Roxas regained visibility, revealing he really did have a hand inside Chandra's chest and was ready to kill her. "Firstly, I taught you well, Roxas. Secondly, don't kill Joselyn's friend."

"What the hell is with your family?!" Chandra asked Joselyn, before walking to Alexa, who had no emotion on her face, "And how are you okay with what happened?!"

"I said I didn't care, not that I was okay with it. Besides, that wasn't the first time I had seen a bunch of dead people, and it certainly won't be the last if my father isn't saved from himself. I'm a former assassin, what can I say? Not to mention, Nicol Bolas just happened to attack Ravnica and use the Immortal Sun the same week Kahu started the Tragedy. _Tons_ more people died from _that_ than the dumb dragon."

"Jace was an assassin too," Chandra snapped, "And he gave a damn about what happened." Alexa sent her a cold smile before walking out.

"Uh..." Hana blinked a couple times, looking to Adrien with a concerned expression, "Okay. Who here knew that about her?" More silence, until Joselyn spoke,

"Um...anyway, can we all please calm down. I don't like being in the middle of arguments."

"How are you calm, Joselyn?" Huatli asked. Joselyn pursed her lips, trying to keep a straight face. Why wasn't she surprised? She'd had hope Chandra and Zoe would get along, but there had always been the chance things would turn out sour. Like, say, the situation they were in right now. But it was odd that it was apparent none of them had known about Alexa's past. Even Harrison and Amelia were startled.

"Is father alive?" She just asked, her head bowed. The best way to avoid violence was to suck it up and get to the inevitable confrontation that kept her away for so long.

Everyone noticed the change in atmosphere, and Chandra took that time to planeswalk away, likely putting her all into it. Joselyn wanted to scream, "Chandra, don't go!" because she really needed some damn moral support here. That and she really didn't want to be caught between two sides here.

To her surprise, Zoe didn't even take a second to be smug about the fact she was right, that planeswalking wasn't impossible. She was just brought into a softer hug, and she felt her sister crying.

"He...he's gone."

_"You killed him," _a voice that sounded way too much like Iku said in the back on her head, _"He's dead because of you and your decisions. He loved you, did everything he could to make you happy. How did you repay him? Selfishly try to kill yourself and then abandon your family. And for what? You should go to apologize. Oh, wait, you can't. He's dead."_

Joselyn's blood ran cold as she heard that voice in her head. She hadn't missed it...but something in her relaxed hearing it, welcomed it with open arms.

"But it's okay," she heard Zoe said through tears, and there was so much guilt in Joselyn's stomach at hearing her sister cry that she wanted to puke, "You're home. You're safe. It's okay now."

Out of the corner of her eye, Joselyn saw Huatli visibly relax, as though realizing they had gotten off on the wrong foot.

Adrien made a gesture with his hand, "Should somebody call _him_?" Zoe brightened, releasing Joselyn.

"Oh, of course, let him know." She ruffled Joselyn's hair, "Someone's been _very_ worried about you."

"Huh?"

Adrien pulled out his phone, "Oh, hey, Jared. Joselyn just arrived at Zoe's front door. No, I'm not messing with you. Just get back here." He looked at his watch, and once there was a flash of light from the warp pad.

Joselyn heard someone gasp, pretty sure it was herself.

Because she came face to face with Jared, who she knew she had seen die.

He looked a little different, with a swirly tattoo along his forearm. And his hair was shorter, no longer even reaching his shoulders, and had a messy look to it. But those eyes were the same, wide upon seeing Joselyn, before wordlessly running up to her and holding her.

_This isn't real, there's no way it's real. I watched Jared die! My spark-ignited because he died! There's no way..._

But his embrace was so warm, just like in her memories. Something about it just felt right, that it was really him.

"My girl..." he said quietly, and the dam broke, and Joselyn started bawling, unable to think clearly as she took in the fact he had been alive all this time. She'd been staying away when there was really no reason to at all. Had he been worried about her in all that time?

"D...Dad..." She felt a small smile bloom on her face, and Jared's hug tightened lovingly, assuring her that he was right here and wasn't going anywhere.

"It's okay, Joselyn. I'm right here."

They stayed like that for maybe fifteen minutes, just sitting on the floor and making sure the other was really there. Only the two of them. Joselyn was pretty sure the others had taken to chatting with Huatli or something. A part of her was surprised to not be snatched out of the hug by Gizmo.

Her stomach growling loudly was the thing to ruin the moment. Jared broke the hug, his eyes wet, and tears falling down his cheeks.

"Come on, we should get you something to eat. Share stories, maybe. I've been worried about you and want to know what you've been doing." He looked to where Eli was watching, and the others had let the two reunite in peace. He smiled,

"I'm glad you're okay, Jos. You and Jared go take some time to reunite, 'kay?"

Joselyn wiped her eye, "Okay. Please make sure Huatli doesn't get sucked into the family messes. And I'll need to go check on Chandra in the morning, but it's late now."

"Oh, Alexa went to go find her maybe ten minutes ago. Said she'd go make sure your friend was okay. Something about needing to practice empathy."

"Alright, then..." Jared helped Joselyn up, and they walked outside, and Joselyn noticed the damage she had made to the ground was gone entirely, as though nothing had ever happened.

"Mine and Cam's bungalow is maybe a mile away. There's a room for you there too. Do you want me to start or...?"

"It's okay. I'll start." So she told him everything, every detail. And Jared grinned at her in pride,

"I'm so proud of you. And please, make sure to _never_ let Zoe forget you took on a god and nearly won."

Joselyn chuckled, "I won't." She looked up at him, "So tell me about you. How did you not die when Kahu's blade came down on you?"

"Viirus. He managed to snap out of it for a moment and grabbed the blade with his bare hands. I said his name to break the spell completely, and then we managed to capture Kahu after I got pissed and burned myself out. The next day, Kahu escaped, so we hunted him down on Galowen and finished him off...and I died."

"Seriously?" She stared in shock, "Damnit, Jared! Could you have not pulled self-sacrificing crap?!"

"Don't give me that," he rolled his eyes, "I'm pretty sure Harrison still wants my head on a spike at least a little. But yes, I died. And I saw Ben."

The name her dead stepbrother made her head snap up to him, "Ben?!"

"Yeah. We were in a mental rehabilitation for children with terrible lives or had regrets that prevented them from finding peace. Since I made a deal with a baby devil who is the living embodiment of the term salty, and therefore couldn't move on, Ben was my questionably-gay friend and helped me out big time. He and Liana were my closest friends, with Cosmo being some sort of frenemy."

"Do I want to know what the deal was? No hellhounds are gonna come after you in ten years, right?"

"Kind of. But the deal is that in exchange for him helping me master my powers, I free him. Seeing as he was wrongfully damned, and it's part of the bargain that he isn't allowed to go on a rampage, I don't see too much of a problem with it. But anyway, Ben couldn't move on until he knew you had gotten out of your stepfather's reach. And for the record, is that bastard still alive? Because I need to go make him hurt."

"I ate his soul." He was the only soul she held no shame in eating. Usually, she was ashamed of it, but with him, she was glad she got to be the one to finish him off.

"Well then, I guess you've got that covered. But I managed to get back, to you and Cam."

"I always thought you would move on and be done with it."

"Admittedly, I would have. But it was part of the fine print on that bargain that I couldn't move on. So either I return to the land of the living or be stuck with a tiny ball of rage who is somehow angrier than Zoe."

"I personally choose returning to life." Joselyn said, noticing they were sitting on the porch, looking up at the stars, "I've been staying away, because I didn't want to get sucked back into the bullshit...and I didn't want confirmation you and father were dead."

"Your father gave me hell in the afterlife. He made me promise to take care of you, and I have no plans of breaking that promise again. You, Cam, and Kagami are the most important people to me. I'm not letting any harm come to you. _Ever_."

"That might not be easy, I have made my share of enemies."

"Join the club. Apparently Mini-Me found himself an enemy in Alexa's father."

"What'd he do? Is he dating her?"

"Oh god no, Alexa still barely understands what a _friend_ is. I don't really know the details about this new enemy, just that he's pissed at Harrison and Amelia. I'll ask for details later, but I just got back."

"Where's Cam?"

"Back on the ship probably. I used the warp pad to get here, because it was either that or see me haphazardly drive a small ship. Oh, I also finally proposed to her."

"About time. You two have been dating for like seven years."

"Well, I was in a coma for one year and dead for two, so four years, but I see the point." He smiled and helped her up, "Come on, I can heat something up."

They ate dinner quietly, and Jared looked up from his food, "I like the new look."

"Thanks. I should probably cut my hair though, it's been one of those things I keep telling myself to do but always forget." It was true. Her hair was down her back, nearly reaching her hips, usually kept in a messy braided ponytail like it was right now.

"Still like it. The outfit suits you." Joselyn blushed, looking down at her outfit, which was dirty after fighting the Blob. She yawned,

"How long have you been back?" She asked, and Jared pondered the question for a moment,

"About a month. I think the thing that startled me the most was Zoe acting like a semi-mature human being and a reasonable mother. The Felix thing still sucks, and I might get involved and wipe some minds if things get out of hand."

"Yeah. I was wondering why Zoe wouldn't smite some bitches."

"She's sane now. And Felix begged her not to." He looked at the time, "You seem tired. I'll show you your room." They put their dishes in the sink, where they started cleaning themselves, and Jared led her to a small bedroom. There wasn't much in it,

"I didn't know if your interests changed. We'll get you some stuff, assuming you're staying."

"I might travel a bit, but...there's no reason for me to stay away anymore." She hugged him, "Thanks, Jared. I'm sorry I worried you."

"I'm just glad you're safe. The others are too." He kissed her forehead, "Get some sleep, Jos. We'll talk more in the morning." He shut the door behind her.

Joselyn smiled. He had known there was a chance she would leave, and accepted that. But...she didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay with Jared, and try getting a shot at the happily ever after the others had achieved, with the occasional adventure.

She noticed there was some clothing in the drawer. Probably Zoe's old clothing judging by the sizing. But it was clean, so she got out of her dirty attire and changed into some shorts and an oversized sweater, since that was the thing closest to fitting her. She was taller than both of her sisters, standing at 5'6, but also a medium between their body types. Eden was a twig and Zoe was curvy, Joselyn was right between that. So this worked.

She would shower in the morning, but she was tired. And for the first time in...ever...she felt like sleeping was okay.

...

Jared waited until he knew Joselyn was really asleep to pull out the Book of Prophecies, reading through that one passage again. Amhar taking control of Rhydian would kill her?

He pondered this. Amhar had seemed to like Joselyn in the brief moment he had seen the together a couple hours ago, so what would motivate him to kill her?

He smiled a little as he felt Camille down their bond, _"So, how is she?"_

_"She seems okay, and has done many great things since she vanished. I have never been so proud to be called Dad."_

_"Awww. But something's wrong, I can tell. Don't make me look harder. I thought we said no more secrets." _

Jared sighed. He didn't want to tell her, but maybe she could give him advice on what to do.

_"Do you think anything could make Amhar snap? Like snap as in go on a murderous rampage and get Joselyn killed?"_

Silence, and then she answered, _"Depends on how the reveal of his heritage goes. If Eden is particularly cruel, I can see that breaking him."_

_"So what am I supposed to do?"_

_"I'm going to assume it's your paranoia about him being Kahu's son that is making you question this, but maybe...take him in? Just say you're his father and take him in? He's a good kid, so if you're really worried about that, just give him love. Besides, he spends most of his time with Hana, Other You, or lately Zoe according to Eli. He can take care of himself."_

Jared sighed. He really didn't want to, but if it meant keeping Joselyn safe and minimal violence, he guessed there was no harm in _trying_ that option. He knew he wasn't going to like this, but Joselyn's safety was top priority.

_"Alright, Cam. I'll try that. But you better help me, because you know I'm bad with kids."_

He heard her laugh, _"Deal. And what's the worst that could happen?"_

Neither of them had any idea what the worst that could happen was, and neither would want to know if they learned it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: The Sage and the Queen**

Of all the rooms in the famed Torre of Zariya, Eden liked her bedroom the best.

The Torre was the home of the best healers, and here was where she was to "recover" and train her powers so she could be as extraordinary as her big sister.

The Torre itself was a tall, broad white keep consisting of eleven floors and an underground system of caverns. The structure was cylindrical in shape, with a winding staircase that led to the different levels. Surrounding it was a gated compound, which contained a courtyard and sand-colored gravel walkways lined with lavender bushes and herb beds. Buildings flanked Torre's sides, connected on lower levels. All the buildings were enclosed by towering white walls, and the iron gates are fashioned to look like an owl spreading its wings.

Perhaps the reason she loved her own bedroom, located at the very pinnacle of the pale-stoned tower and its spiraling complex below, was because it had an unparalleled best view of the gorgeous city below and the sunset.

Perhaps it was because this was a place where she was around people just like her. Where she could shut herself in and focus on her studies, except for the occasional annoyance from other apprentices, but they usually just wanted some help practicing one of the lessons, so it was fine.

This was all she had ever dreamed for most of her life except for her brief mid-life crisis. From the time she was a toddler, she always wanted to become a doctor. Maybe it was because she had been treating Zoe's abuse injuries for a lot of her life, unaware of what exactly they were from until it was too late to change things. So here, she planned to seize every opportunity with both hands. She had already studied and practiced and saved lives, but she wanted to be better.

One thing she had discovered was not expected at all. A book on Worldbenders and Worldbreakers. She'd found it in a local bookstore when she went out and had bought in immediately, so she could take notes of important details in the book.

As it turned out, a Worldbender could survive the Blind Eternities, but it would burn away the majority of their spark, supposedly resorting them to a normal metahuman. But this was not necessarily the case, Eden knew this from personal experience, because she had been in the Blind Eternities, and had given up her body and damaging her soul instead of having it touch her spark. With Joselyn's replica program, it was indeed possible for a Worldbender to go into the Blind Eternities and then hop into a replica.

Another thing she learned was that a Worldbender could surrender their spark and give it to someone else. This would result in immediate death for the original Worldbender, but it would give those powers to the target. Or protect them from the Blind Eternities...

Eden sighed. She really had to get over her obsession with the Blind Eternities. Well, seeing as she had accidentally stumbled into them all those years ago, and it led to Vita and later Amhar, she wanted to know everything she could possibly do to prevent her family from getting hurt in them. Harrison was currently working to see if there was some sort of suit he could make to survive the Blind Eternities because there were ships that could go through it. But it wasn't like he was planning on risking a human test subject.

But there were rigid walls from the Blind Eternities around Alynthi, thanks to the combined efforts of the family. The barrier prevented anyone from getting thrown in or ricocheting off it like Felix did. A planeswalker wouldn't have trouble getting in, and she remembered getting a call from Zoe that they were trying to find a way to make it equally easy for planeswalkers to get out, but that was either easier said than done or impossible. But anyone getting chucked into the Blind Eternities would only manage to break a rib or two from impact, which was certainly better than death.

Still, until they could find a way to survive in there, Eden was left unsatisfied. That place was more to blame for her issues than Amhar was. She hadn't tried to end up in that place, so it clearly wasn't her fault? _Was it? No...not my fault..._

Sam had come by from time to time, but he seemed to understand he wasn't welcome. The only thing he could do to hold her attention was talking about the past when things were better when times were simpler. Long ago, she was just a teenager looking for her big sister. Hell, she had loved her life until her death. She wished Vita hadn't brought her back, because then she could have died in peace.

"I'm glad I finally found time to meet you officially."

At the sound of that voice, Eden whirled around and saw the Queen staring at her fondly. Liana was wearing her usual ocean blue gown with pink wavy cuts on the bodice, and her sleeves were long with mesh at the ends. Her skirt had a pink, transparent wrap, with dark blue designs.

"Oh...your highness." Eden bowed respectfully, "For what do I owe the pleasure?"

Liana narrowed her eyes, "Come on, really? And here I was, hoping a Carpenter wouldn't use the 'your highness' bullshit." Eden flushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry."

"No biggie. It's not like we know each other all too well." She shut the door behind her, and then proceeded to remove the corset around her waist that matched her dress, and then revealed her gown was actually a two-piece. She removed the skirt and was now sitting in a fancy top and black leggings.

"Damn." Eden mused, and Liana then whipped out some wine, pouring two glasses,

"Yeah. I hate all the fancy gowns. They hurt my waist and are not good for fighting at all. How am I supposed to defend myself and my kingdom if _breathing_ is a struggle? If Chiso was here, I ask him to turn my crown into a portable weapon."

Eden gaped at how casual the Queen had become, resorting to a normal young adult and not someone ruling a massive kingdom. But still she went for some of the wine, and was amazed by the taste, unaware this was all part of Liana's plan.

"This is really good stuff. What is it?"

"Pixie wine. We had a ton of this in the afterlife, and I have grown a little dependant on it since it buries my PTSD. I also use it to make people take down their walls. So what's eating ya? I know a broken soul when I see one, because I existed among them for forty years, and am in love with Cosmo—the most broken of them all. I can see you suffering, and I don't even know you. Normally I don't straight-up drug people into telling me, but you'll feel a little better once you get it off your chest, and it's clear you won't ever tell people while sober."

Eden looked to the wine. She should probably be mad at Liana's trick, but the wine was probably preventing her from being angry. And before she knew it, she found herself crying and talking, for the next couple hours telling Liana everything she hadn't told even Hana. She was shocked the female was genuinely interested, nodding along and asking questions.

Liana crossed her arms a little bit, "Well, from my experience with similar situations, I'm gonna give some advice. Amhar represents something forced upon you, but that is not his fault. It is Vita's fault alone for this happening. Amhar just came from that. So try, whenever you're around him, to remember that Vita is the one who forced it upon you, not Amhar."

"I've tried, but it doesn't work." She wiped her eyes, starting to feel the wine wearing off. The moon was high in the sky, "Liana, shouldn't you get some sleep before another day of work?"

"Nah. Nothing starts until I arrive. And nothing important starts until noon. Besides, as Queen and as a decent female, the mental health of others is important to me. Bottling it all up will actually hinder your healer training."

Eden nodded a little bit, wiping her eyes, "Yeah. But...I think I'm done talking about myself. Tell me about Cosmo or the afterlife or something."

Liana frowned a little, "Uh...okay. What exactly do you want to know?"

"How'd you meet Cosmo?" A smile bloomed on Liana's face, her eyes taking a faraway look,

"I met him when I first arrived in the afterlife. I was sixteen and alone in a big ass high school surrounded by NPCs designed to help me 'cope' or whatever. I didn't like it and closed myself off whenever I wasn't looking for some sort of exit. A week later, the student council president, Fawn at the time, brought Cosmo to me. Apparently he'd been living in their council building or something, but wasn't coping from PTSD too well and hadn't been for a thousand years, really badly depressed. Initially, I didn't trust him."

"Because the council delivered him to you?"

"Well, I didn't know there was a council. Just the student council president. But yes, that's pretty much the reason. But his behavior worried me to much I wanted to know him. He barely spoke, he just seemed distant all the time, almost like a broken shell of a man. He was disinterested in everything, saying that nothing mattered and Cradh would just take control of him and throw him back in _there_—didn't learn it was a prison for nearly ten years, because he kept using the fucking pronoun game. He also struggled to communicate his feelings to others, and generally appeared to be spaced out, trapped in dark memories. But eventually, I sat him down and told him we weren't leaving HQ until he told me what was going on, and he told me bits and pieces over the course of a couple weeks, but for the most part let me figure things out on my own. I told him my own story, and it led to us both deciding that we weren't going to be afraid, but we were going to show them, specifically Cradh, that we weren't going to bend to the rules and work with the system. After that, we decided to try other things together, since we were inseperable. He taught me to hone my fighting skills, and together we managed to let out our anger on a target. It still took nearly fifteen years for him to not be spaced out. Probably because Morrigan came to say hi after a visit with the Oracle and promptly gave Cosmo a panic attack. Oh boy, it took weeks to pull him out of _that_ catatonic state of terror."

"So you were just trying to help him and it led to love?"

"Pretty much." She looked out the window, "He helped me too, showing me I wasn't alone in my opinions. It's amazing, having even one person believe the things you do. It's less isolating. For the first time since my siblings died, I wasn't alone in this multiverse."

Eden noticed the faraway look in Liana's eyes turn to sadness, and put a hand on the Queen's shoulder, "You miss him." Not a question.

"Of course I do. He's been by my side for forty years, most of my existence. And even then, what is he doing? I really hope he's not falling back into that spaced out state." She then brightened, "But okay, tomorrow, you and I are gonna go down to the tavern and enjoy ourselves."

"Huh?"

Liana nodded, "Yeah. The others in your family might let up eventually and obey your desire to be left alone, but having lived among souls like you, I'm not putting up with that crap. So we're talking, and gonna have some fun. Life's not worth living if you spend all that time working. But we'll take baby steps, so as to not overwhelm you. Talking about your problems is an important first step." Eden narrowed her eyes as Liana started putting her skirt back on,

"It's pointless arguing with you."

"Yup. I really do hope we can become friends in time. See you tomorrow." With that, she left with a joyful skip in her step.

Somehow, Eden felt a smile creep up her face.

OoOoO

"I think he might be here."

Hatsune was startled from her thoughts by her familiar, a French bulldog named Bernie. She'd always been considered pathetic since she rarely kept her familiar dormant, and it was a common domestic animal instead of something terrifying.

"Hmm?" She picked up her small companion and wound her way through the crowded street of the city home of the Harukara coven, which was less of a coven and more of a home for outcasts. They'd take in children with nowhere else to go until they could take care of themselves. Usually, people stayed permanently since it was kinder here than outside.

There were times over the years that Hatsune had thought about running away from the Sardothian coven and coming here. Hell, she still wanted to. The only thing that had kept her here was her mother, who had been executed horribly.

_"My dearest Hatsune, promise me you will see this coven to its former glory and not just some power-hungry pathetic excuse of a tribe which Valeria has made it be. I am entrusting my wish to you, baby girl."_

So she had stayed, hoping Amaya or Kyra would change things. Amaya was just a dialed down version of her mother. Kyra had always tried to make a change, but she was unable to ever since she got crippled and spent most of her time trying to get around it.

But Felix...

When she'd first heard Amaya was getting married, forming an alliance with the Sommers coven, she'd been excited. Because she'd been taking care of Eli during his short stay back before this started, and he was the kindest person she had ever met. And he had described his wife and kids, and he had been so proud of Felix, his oldest son. It was cute how he described a young infant selecting his own parents.

Meeting Felix in person, she knew he would be the best damn thing to happen to the coven. Until, of course, she learned he was here to protect his family but was utterly miserable. And Amaya was treating him like property, as though he hadn't managed to break Kahu's ribs with blast strong enough to counter that villain.

She had wanted to help him, as a friend, and was relieved when he confided in her about Kaylee. From what she had heard about the young human, Kaylee was a wonderful person, someone Hatsune found herself longing to befriend.

Bernie licked her face to bring her out of her thoughts again, "I said, I think he might be here. In the main square."

It was early evening on the longest night of the year, so Hatsune was lost in the thick a the celebration. She had been on a journey for the week, to get here, in search of someone who could find a way to get Felix out of the marriage. If not for Felix's own sanity, which she valued, then it was in the hope of Amaya getting knocked down a few pegs and becoming a better matron than her mother.

The sun had nearly dipped below the horizon, and three moons hung low and plump, ripe golden orbs suspended over the water. The city, known as Merroutas, was alight with festivities for the Midwinter Feast.

Hatsune wandered through the throngs of revelers, lost amid the celebration's rainbow of colors. She was dressed in a pale pink servant dress, with her hair in her face a bit, concealing turquoise eyes. But people draped in jasmine garlands were everywhere, packed into narrow alleys and spilling out into the squares, dancing in long lines around domed palaces and bathing temples. She walked back waterways swollen with cargo-laden boats and buildings carved in gold and silver with thousands of repeating circles and squares. Ornate tapestries hung from balconies in the smoky air. Soldiers passed her by in small clusters, wearing billowing silk instead of heavy armor, and moon-and-crown emblem stitched onto their sleeves.

She felt as if she were in a haze, the celebrations floating around her. It was strange, really, to look out at all this joy. She let Bernie guide her as she watched the children dancing in the square, lights twinkling in their eyes, and she imagined Felix dancing among them without a care in the world. He had told her he used to go to the multiverse-wide celebrations after Kahu's defeat and would dance and listen to the stories told by the village's Sage, which was a man or woman who knew every story in the multiverse, all true. And a man like this, known as Enzo, would be the key to saving Felix and the Sardothian coven.

Walking up to a food stand since she was hungry, she handed the man a couple coins, joking with him for a bit, and he murmured into her ear,

"Your beauty is unlike anything I've ever seen."

She responded with a practiced smile that could devastate the sun. He stared at her in wonder and ended up giving her some coins alongside her meat skewer. She tore some of the meat off and gave it to Bernie so her familiar could eat, and sighed.

She had been told she was a fairly average girl when in the coven, but then there were others stunned by her appearance when she pulled her hair back. But Valeria killed witches in her coven who were more beautiful than either her or Amaya, so Hatsune and many others did everything they could to look as plain as possible, not wanting to die gruesomely or be horribly mutilated. Another thing that desperately needed to be changed. This was why Hatsune hated monarchies, primarily with immortals, because the matron could be a tyrant, and there wouldn't be any change for many thousands of years, especially if the child were raised to be just as rotten as their parent. A small part of her, because of this, wanted Mrs. Sommers to kill Valeria and Amaya only so a new coven could form.

"Why did the guy give you a bronze coin?" Bernie asked when she was done eating. Hatsune shrugged,

"A discount because he liked me." Bernie laughed,

"Sweet Hatsune, at this rate, they'll be paying you to eat their food."

"That's what I'm working towards." Hatsune joked, "I mean, so matter how ugly witches say I am, the humans seem to like me enough."

Bernie blinked a couple times before her big navy eyes wandered the square, pausing where an enormous bonfire burned in front of the temple.

"We're getting closer. His energy isn't powerful, and it shifts as we go."

"Alright, lead the way, Bernie."

And so Bernie did, happily bounding through the city until they reached the battlements of the palace, which was much more welcoming from the mountain she begrudgingly called home. And there she saw a man watching the city from below.

"Excuse me...are you Enzo?" The man turned, revealing dark midnight eyes and shoulder-length dark hair. He was very tall and had warm brown skin.

"I am. And you are?" He said this kindly, though it was a time of celebration, so maybe he didn't mind.

"Hatsune." She said, "You're the Sage, right? I need some advice, and maybe your stories may hold the answer."

Enzo brightened, gesturing for her to sit beside him, "My favorite part of my job! Come, sit." She sat beside him, surprised to be given a cupcake, "So tell me everything. Very few people look to stories of the past for advice about the future."

So she told him everything, about Felix, about the marriage, about the threat of war, and Felix's self-destructive bargain with Kyra to get out of this.

"I told him that maybe if we found his real mate...but where would a girl like that be? The multiverse is huge! And what if Valeria just kills the poor thing to ensure Felix belongs to Amaya! He's suffering, and I cannot bear to see him like this."

Enzo pondered this, "This sounds familiar. Ah yes, many centuries ago, a similar situation unfolded. The possessive, abusive male wouldn't let his fiancé go, even when she had told him to his face that she was leaving him. He turned to a dark king to destroy her new friends, unaware she was not the meek girl he had convinced himself she was. She destroyed his court from the inside after pretending to go back willingly and left the place in ruin when she was done. Nobody respected the male anymore, and every one left his kingdom."

"So you're saying Felix needs to leave the coven in shambles?"

"Perhaps. Felix at least needs to prove he is not as helpless as Amaya thinks he is. The false kidnappings do not help his case, but I understand why he sees it as a necessity. And from what you've told me, he is never allowed to be alone. Well...if he can't prove himself, there are two choices. Either kill the matron, and Amaya will be so busy as the new matron that he can get away...or he should fake his own death."

"The current plan is to just stage kidnappings for Kaylee to 'rescue' him from until the coven thinks she owns him and he can never return, then return him to his family."

"That would work, but it also would make him extra miserable while waiting for it to happen."

"Okay...is there any advice on how to help him now? He might just break, and I can't bear to see that happen."

Enzo chuckled a little bit, "You really care about him, don't you?" Hatsune flushed at the knowing smile on his face,

"What?! No. Not like that. Besides...I'm pretty sure he likes Kaylee."

"Is he cute?" She sent him a dirty look, and he chuckled, "Just teasing, but I have heard of the beauty of Eli and Zoe Sommers, just wanna know if their kid follows that little family trait."

"To answer your question...yes...he does." Enzo nudged her a bit, playfully. When she had heard the term Sage, she'd expected an old man who took eighty years to get out a sentence, not a middle-aged man who was teasing her. "But again, I'm pretty sure he's in love with someone else."

"Well, just be there for him, make it clear you are his friend, and will support him. And maybe make him save himself from a kidnapping right in front of Amaya?"

"Won't work. Amaya will convince herself he only got away by luck, and she was still saving him."

"Wow. Amaya _really_ is determined to see Felix as helpless." Enzo nodded to himself, eating another cupcake, "I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact his wings are damaged."

"Yeah. Probably. If Felix could fly, Valeria would either try to ruin his wings, or he'd just fly away from this crap."

"Well...I know some people who might be able to help." That caught Hatsune's attention quickly,

"Who?!"

"The healers at the Torre of Zariya. Finest healers in the multiverse. They can heal a man who has been paralyzed, making it so nobody would know the injury ever happened. Apprentices from far and wide aspire to be invited to train in the Torre. There is even a tale of a healer who used her powers to single-handedly defeated a demonic king trying to take over the multiverse. If anyone could heal his wings, it would be them."

"But how am I going to get him there?"

Enzo looked at the city below, a mischevious grin on his face, "That bargain. While hiding in the cabin is a smart option, and taking Felix to his parents is clearly the wrong option, perhaps the bustling streets of Zariya would be enough to hide a Nephilim. And make sure to come back, let me know how things go."

Hatsune looked to the sun as it finally set entirely. She smiled, looking to where Bernie was chasing a firefly.

"Thanks, Enzo."

"It was nothing. I always love seeing people who are interesting in stories from the past. Maybe one time I can tell you them in-depth with your friend." She nodded, picking Bernie up,

"See you again." She then jumped into the Lanes Between to return to Felix.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Truth and Lies**

Cosmo tried to run, to get away, and go anywhere Cradh wasn't. But he couldn't move at all and remembered this feeling from so long ago. Cradh was controlling him.

At least he could still speak, "Little late to talk. Ten thousand years too late. Why care now, but not when a wrongfully convicted child is wasting away in that hellhole? And for what? I'm sorry I saved that city full of people," he spat at Cradh, who only seemed confused,

"What are you talking about?"

"WHAT I WAS DOING FIVE MINUTES BEFORE YOU RUINED MY LIFE!" He knew full well that he was playing a dangerous game since Cradh had the power to terminate the bargain he'd made with Jared. But if Cradh did that...Cosmo knew he would snap and do _anything_ to get well-deserved revenge.

To his surprise, Cradh softened, "I didn't know that."

"Liar." Cosmo scoffed, "You're just bitter you didn't get more innocents to torture, and who am I to take away your fun?"

Cradh's features hardened again, and Cosmo found himself walking against his will. He growled, and Cradh spoke,

"Torturing innocent souls, you say. Is that why you nearly crossed the line and obliterated innocents just now?"

"Doi. Anyone in your 'care' is bound to suffer, good or bad if your treatment of me says anything. Fading into nothing is so much better than the torment at the hands of you and your handmaiden."

Cradh's expression was that of exasperation, probably because Cosmo had the guts to refer to Kraull as a handmaiden. But Cradh was also stuck. Either Cosmo was right, or he was wrong, which would mean this was just an issue with him, which would only assist in his rage.

"I understand your logic," Cradh said after a moment, but Cosmo had a feeling it was a lie, "But you don't know the full story, which blinds you from the truth."

"Well, please enlighten me with your lies. Because if you really cared at all, this would have been a long time ago. You've already destroyed my will to exist, but you haven't broken my will to fight quite yet. So what do you want?"

"I don't want to hurt you, and with your incomplete knowledge, your actions and motivations are reasonable. You see me as pure evil, shouldn't be on the council, and me dying would be a wonderful thing both for the multiverse and for your own sanity. Am I close?"

Cosmo sneered, "There is no way short of you entering my head that will show a thousandth of my detest for you. I want _you_ in that prison stripped of your powers and everything you've ever known."

"I didn't want you locked up. I didn't want you harmed. I would have much preferred the council leave you be unless you became a threat." Cradh admitted, "Myself and two others vouched in your defense, but we were outvoted. Because I was the only one with the power to catch and bind you, I had to be the one to do it. I can tell because I just looked in your memories that my timing may have assisted in your thoughts of my character."

"And the fact you didn't just kill me when you should have known death and fading into nothing would have been better. I was eighteen! A teenager was thrown in with rapists, tyrants, genociders, and who even knows what else! Blood was the only thing I could use as effective sustenance, to reach that kernel of power I had left, and it's not like you find that easily under the mountain."

Once again he got an odd look from Cradh,

"That's an unusual side effect. That wasn't intentional. But seeing as you almost escaped where none have before, I wouldn't say you can pull the helpless card."

_That's because I couldn't take it anymore. That escape was a failed suicide attempt, and I hate the guards for not finishing me off._

Cradh then turned to him, not saying anything, but the look in his eyes implied he was saying, "I heard that."

"Damn. But anyway, from where I stand, you let me get locked up just to get a kick out of it." He looked around, taking in their surroundings, before instantly wishing he hadn't, because they were in the torture realm and PTSD was starting to overcome him just like the last time he had come here, the one time he had decided to see if Cradh was really so bad.

"If I wanted you to suffer, I would have thrown you in here." Cosmo then noticed his shirt was off, and Cradh was examining the scars littering his body. Skin replaced entirely with scar tissue. Cosmo felt himself shrinking down a bit under the scrutinizing gaze, almost like Cradh was assessing the damage done all those years ago. But he said nothing, and Cosmo had his shirt on again.

This was the moment Cosmo mustered up some courage and said something that could possibly get him killed, especially if he was correct in his theory.

"You know, the hapless mortals see God, the creator, as one who loves all of his creations. For some reason, they see getting wiped out entirely as an act of love, but who am I to question that trainwreck. But to me," he gestured to the screams around them, realizing that he now had the freedom to move his arms, which he hadn't had moments ago, and it seemed now the only thing he was forced to do was walk, "you just want them all to suffer. You are not what the humans think you are."

A beat, as something shifted in the atmosphere around them. But it wasn't malice like expected. It was curiosity,

"What makes you think I am the one to have created life?"

"Wasn't hard to guess since I felt your real power when you bound me to this form. Even if you aren't, you are still much more godlike in power than you let on. I've done my homework on the binding spell, and it's much easier to undo the spell than it is to perform it in the first place. Even then, someone extraordinary like a stone wielder is required to undo it."

"Tell me, Cosmo," Cradh replied, dodging the accusation in a way that only made Cosmo more suspicious, "Why do you want your powers back? You feel it's what damned you, which is not necessarily incorrect, so why?"

"Why? Because that's who I am. My father taught me to be proud of that. And I want it back for the sake of my freedom, my choice, my rights. But I know because that night will haunt me forever, that you can take that freedom away from me whenever you want."

"Is that why it took Freya introducing you to Liana for you to try fighting? Don't think I didn't notice you wasting away, even more so than while you were in prison. I was told you'd fallen into a near-crippling depression."

"Because there's no point in even _trying_ to exist if there is someone out there who can snatch away your free will in a heartbeat just because of your heritage. I don't understand how anybody could want to live, with that knowledge dangling above their heads at all times. Liana is the only one who can make me smile regardless, and that took nearly twenty years."

"Cosmo, there are many with the power to control other living things. And you are the outlier here because I only ever use that power to keep unruly demons under control when they are a threat. That's all. Don't endanger creation, and I have no reason to bother you." A moment of silence, "You don't believe me at all."

"Not in the slightest." Cosmo then noticed they were in a tropical garden of some sort, "What's this place? Your personal viewpoint for watching damned innocent souls get tortured?"

"No. This is my place for pure souls." He gestured, and Cosmo saw people across the way, _happy_ people, "It's a shame that a misunderstanding led to your worldview changing to the point that even now, you don't believe what you are seeing is real. You still believe simple obliteration is mercy for anyone who would be in my domain."

"If you're so good, why didn't you use your powers to stop them from condemning innocents? I'm not going to assume it was just me who fell victim to this, so tell me how many others are like me."

"Nobody is quite like you, Cosmo. Never has been and I doubt there ever will be. But if you're referring to innocents who were locked up, the answer is no. I believe locking someone up just makes the situation worse, and your beliefs and broken spirit are proof of that. And no other council had been nearly as corrupt as that one."

"Then why didn't you come to get me and explain that years ago!"

"I'm the last being you would have wanted to see. And there was no council meeting to discuss these matters, and that seems to be how all decisions are handled. I brought it up a couple times, but most thought I was joking or tried to kill me over it instead of making an actual change to your situation. Freya was the only one to ever come to me on the topic of you with a clear head."

"Sometimes you have to do what's right, and damn the consequences," Cosmo muttered, and Cradh nodded,

"Yes. Which is why I told Freya to set you free."

And everything Cosmo had known for years came crashing down around him, "N-No. That's a lie. You wouldn't. She..."

"If I had said no, you still would have wound up free because she would have made a council meeting out of it. And she gave you lodging. And I did try to talk to you years ago, but you weren't all there, so I left you be."

"I don't remember that." Cradh nodded,

"You probably wouldn't. It was maybe thirty years after Freya set you free, and you'd been coming in and out of a catatonic state during that time, which started about three days after you were let out."

"I don't believe you. About any of this. This is just words, and the people could be illusions. How am I supposed to know what you are saying has any merit to it?"

"Because of this," Cradh simply willed it, and Cosmo fell limp to the ground, now forced into memories, showing there was truth to his words.

Fawn walked over, frowning deeply at the lifeless body on the ground,

"I said talk to him, not knock him out."

"He wanted proof, so I'm giving him proof. I'm showing him memories because his hatred has festered to the point he's wondering if Kraull is a nice guy in comparison to me, and he still doesn't believe anything. A seed of doubt has been planted, but he's still unsure, and I'd rather not risk his loathing corrupt him to the point he would be Kraull's ally in the event of an uprising."

"Well, you have tried to reach him before, so I can't say you've dug an impressively deep hole. So I'm going to say miscommunication dug you into that ditch." She looked down at Cosmo, whose limbs were splayed out, "Are you going to take him to his room?"

"I suppose I should—wait, what are you doing in my domain? Normally none of the other members come here."

"I wanted to see if Cosmo's beliefs had any truth to them. Maybe don't have tons of torture as the greeting."

Cradh groaned, "I'm not trying to make this place welcoming for anyone but the innocent souls."

"That makes sense, I guess." Fawn said this, but it also sounded like a question, "I'll be leaving now, and I might as well take Cosmo with me." She made a vague gesture, and both she and Cosmo vanished thanks to her reality-warping power, leaving Cradh alone.

OoOoO

Freya was sitting in Cosmo's room, her eyes wide with terror, locked onto the book of prophecies.

Micah came in, "Frey? What is it? You look like a mortal would if they saw a ghost." Freya was so horrified, she was unable to speak, which had the other council member disturbed.

"something's gone wrong," she trembled at the thought, "Something's gone horribly wrong." Going into 'Queen Mode,' she stood up, "Get the council, now! Don't bother making the trip to get Cradh, he wouldn't care anyway." Micah ran off, and Freya rushed to the others, who were more than a little confused.

"What's going on?" Empty asked, for once sounding entirely serious. If Freya was scared, this was catastrophic for the rest of them who looked to her as a mentor.

Freya looked to the book in her hands, "Morrigan, did you make sure the book Jared was given by the Oracle was destroyed?"

Morrigan hesitated, "I made sure he landed in the water. The book _should_ be at the bottom of a lake. Why?"

"Because the book we have is wrong. I thought we fixed the problem when we resurrected Jared, but I'm thinking now that it may have been a mistake. Look, there is nothing about Felix's arranged marriage, nor anything about Dorian being an actual threat. Sure, he's dangerous, but according to the book, the danger is Kraull and Dorian is an ally to the heroes."

Grim, surprisingly, took charge of the situation, his voice booming across the room, "Look! This is bad, obviously, because now we don't know what to do. But is this entirely the worst thing ever? We've been told ever since we became members that the book is the ideal outcome. But clearly, things have spiraled out of hand, so we need to all work together to fix this. We're the council of death, true, but it's also our job to prevent tragedies like what happened with Kahu."

"Huh. Didn't know you were confident in anything." Empty muttered. Grim shrugged,

"You know, my champion got cut in half. That makes me want to help. I may not be a leader, but Freya was a Queen. So, since none of us trust Cradh any farther than we could throw him, and Judge doesn't do much anyway, I say Freya calls the shots until this whole thing is handled."

Freya stood up, "Mor, I want you to go speak to your mother."

"WHAT?!" Freya nodded to her friend,

"Remember, Regina is the one to have cursed Dorian, so she might know a way to break the enchantment. Preferably, we can prevent a Kraull uprising. Knowing Cosmo, it's very likely he's gonna use his sob story to manipulate the hell out of some people into giving him more power so he can kill Kraull himself."

"Well, using Cosmo would be smart." Fawn agreed, "Cradh is trying to handle that bitterness that exists. I can't say I blame the kid, but I'm glad that's getting resolved. Besides, he's been craving freedom for longer than any of us have been on the council, so he might have loyalty to whoever frees him."

"Correct." Freya confirmed, her voice commanding and calm, "Not to mention his relationship with the current Zariyan monarch, which gives him immediate access to massive armies and countless healers."

Micah nodded, "It does seem that freeing Cosmo is a logical decision. But he's been deeply asleep for the last couple days, and who knows if Cradh is screwing with his mind entirely."

"Well," Morrigan got up, taking the unspoken role of second in command, "I'll go speak to my...mother. Grim, can you go talk to Eyla?" At the confused looks, she clarified, "The Oracle. She wrote the book, so she would know why things got screwed up."

"Ah." Grim nodded, "Uh...I know I'm trying to grow up, but I'm still terrified of that place."

"For good reason," Micah got up, "I'll go with you. If it makes you feel better, that place scares the hell out all of us except Freya and Cradh."

"It's like when a parent is quiet when angry," Fawn compared matter-of-factly. However, she still shuddered just a bit, "Cradh's realm is the screaming parent, but the prison is the scarier one with how seemingly peaceful it is when it's actually the Holocaust meets Alcatraz in a mountain. Freya, what do you need Empty and I to do?"

"Fawn, keep an eye on Dorian. Empty, keep an eye on Hana. Another thing we need to keep an eye on is Jared and Joselyn."

"Which Jared?"

"Both." Freya's voice once again became commanding, "Joselyn is also of much importance. She managed to hide from even the system of death itself. But here's the thing...I don't think she was doing this intentionally. I'll have to look more into it, but I do wonder how she's coped with trauma over the years."

"Are you suggesting Dissociative Identity Disorder?" Empty asked, and Freya shrugged,

"It's not out of the question." Freya stood up, leaving, "But it is worth investigating. Anyway, let's go do our respective jobs."

And so, they broke off to do their jobs.

...

"Can we mutually agree that this place is the worst?" Micah asked Grim as they took the council-only elevator. No guests could use it, but as two members, it wasn't a problem.

"Yeah. We all mutually agreed to never damn someone here. Honestly, I don't even know why any of our predecessors would build this wretched place." Micah covered his eyes, "You know what, I don't care anymore. Let's just grab Eyla and put her in a different room in the Moonbase like we did Cosmo."

"Sounds good," Grim looked at his feet, "Micah... you're not gonna think any differently of me if I tell you I'm scared, right? We... this is the first time we as a council have no idea what to do. What exactly are we supposed to do?"

"No clue. With the Kahu thing, it all happened so fast, no time to prepare, but it was in the book, so things were going smooth until Jared died. This whole mess is the first time since Kelly's death years ago that we had to actually get involved. Even then, we didn't get too involved. But this time... it's just a lot."

Grim opened the door to the cell, seeing his champion standing there, looking broken with bags under his eyes. He did care about Jared and didn't want any harm to him.

"Two council members?" The Oracle asked, staring at the Ourobouros, "I know why you're here, but _two_?" Micah clenched his fists,

"Cut the crap, Eyla. We're here to get you out of here. In return, you answer our questions." That got the Oracle's attention,

"Oh? For a glimpse of sunlight, I will do just about anything. Ask anything."

"Why did you give Jared the book of prophecies?"

Eyla chuckled menacingly, "Because I was bored. The future I predicted long ago had already spiraled, so I might as well have fun with it. But I did not expect at the time for the young Nanami to swap the book out with a fake. Brilliant boy. But I do wonder how he knew. Now that there's a set path, I know how this story is going to end and let's just say I hope young Esmeray succeeds in her goal."

"Esmeray?" Grim asked, "Who's that?" Eyla gave him a nonchalant gesture as though telling him not to worry about it,

"If she succeeds, either she will make a terrible mistake and damn all of creation, or you all will be taking a breath of air for the first time. But I am happy in knowing that, whatever the outcome, if she succeeds, my boy will be happy."

Micah sat down on the rock bed, "Assuming you mean Cosmo when saying 'your boy,' I'm just going to assume that goal is Cradh taking a permanent vacation." He put such annunciation on 'vacation' that it clearly meant dead or locked in this hellhole.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But you wonder why things changed." Grim frowned as he watched the Oracle taking the form of the younger of the two Jareds. It was his body, clothing, even the same voice. But those lips twisted into a cruel smirk, and the menacing tone of voice was _wrong_ in every sense of the word.

He questioned releasing her, but it was a rule to never lie in this place, or else the Oracle was also allowed to deceive, and that could _really_ screw them over.

"Spit it out," Micah clearly had more patience than Grim did, but that seemed to be precisely what Eyla had been looking for.

"Alright. Things changed because living beings are more than chess pieces, something your beloved council tends to forget due to my book. And Jared is much more stubborn about writing his own destiny than most, even if it means leaving the woman who he loves to suffer. But love will be his downfall very soon. I do wonder... if he found out what love ends up doing, would he take his own life before its too late? Actually, love is the single deadliest weapon to ever exist."

"Love?" Grim asked worriedly, "Why would it be a weapon?"

"Simple." Eyla drawled condescendingly, "Love itself is a general term. There is the love of your partner, your other half; there is the love of family, like your siblings and offspring; there is the love of power; there is the love of hate; there is the love of love itself; there are countless others I will not bring up. So why wouldn't it be the deadliest catalyst for a catastrophe?"

"Alright...that makes sense." Grim held out his hand, "Do you have a true form? That would make things much easier." A mischievous grin was the response, still very uncomfortable to see on Jared's face.

"Perhaps." Eyla took the mirror from its position on the wall, "Time to go."

"Tell me," Micah said as they made the long and painful walk up the stairs, "You aren't nearly as broken as anyone else here. Why?"

"Simple. Because the council needs me often." Eyla replied, "So it's less hell for me, since I'm just locked in my cell at all times unless I'm dragged out during meals or to witness the punishment of others, and I can see in the dark. The others..." a bloodcurdling scream was heard, "Not so lucky."

As they walked, the appearance of Jared melted away, and Eyla changed into an underweight raven-haired beauty, with frightfully pale skin, long fingers, and long nails. Her eyes were deep obsidian.

"Woah." Micah awed, and Eyla shrugged,

"I have no 'true form' as you put it, but I can display an appearance seen by all. I've always been interested in the female form."

When they exited that place, Eyla looked around in amazement, free of the shackles she'd been bound to for millennia. It was only then that Grim noticed the rags she wore and just how underweight she was.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up and in actual clothes." Grim looked to the mountain, "Honestly, I might send a ton of new clothes, shoes, food, and such to the prisoners."

"You're a good man, Grim." Eyla said with a soft smile, "Never lose that."

...

Morrigan found herself regretting her life choices as she walked into the dark depths of Freya's basement, where Regina was being kept. They'd thrown her to Cradh for a bit, establishing she was just there until they could decide where exactly she was going to go, since she was gonna be in hell regardless.

But eventually, Morrigan had realized she wouldn't be able to have her mother in her domain, so Freya was given custody. It had been a debate to lock Regina in prison, but then Freya had reminded everyone that they'd agreed to never use that place.

Regardless, this basement was hell enough. Inspiration had been taken from Zoe's dark abyss that she'd shoved the dark Mara in.

It was at this moment Morrigan realized her mother still thought she'd died from the Spears of Gungnir and would, therefore, be catatonic even as a spirit. This would come as a shock.

"Hello," she called and then saw her mother chained to the ground, having clearly been tortured but mentally and physically, "Mother, I need to talk to you."

"Morrigan?" Regina looked up, "How is that possible? You were killed."

"You forget," Morrigan took a deep breath, "I truly am my namesake, the Phantom Queen. Meaning I became a member of the death council upon my demise." She mentally kicked herself for not having the guts to tell the truth, "And I have some questions for you."

The only thing Morrigan got in response was a smirk from her mother, who managed to still hold all the power in the room, regardless of their situations and actual status, "Oh? And what makes you think I will say anything. You can ask me anything you want, but that doesn't mean I'll answer."

Morrigan put on a mask of rage, trying to hide the fact her mother did still scare her, "Dorian Nanami. You placed a corruption curse over him. Ring any bells?" When silence was her answer, she clenched her fists, "It's a simple question with a simple answer. Do you remember placing a curse over Dorian Nanami?"

"I've cursed lots of people," Regina replied, "What about this 'Dorian' boy should stand out to me?"

"Glowing green hair, wields a scythe, can cut up to five witches at once without struggle, is probably in love with Kelly, made a deal with you to learn how to break the curse."

"Oh! That boy. Yes, I remember him."

"Good. Tell me how to break the curse over Dorian." She hadn't expected her mother to answer honestly if at all, but she was still angered when she was given a defiant smirk in response to her question.

"Why do you want to know?"

"It's not like he's fulfilled his supposed purpose to you. You've lost, mother. Zoe and Eli are alive and well, with four healthy children. There is no reason to let Dorian suffer anymore because he did a grand total of nothing to help your goals."

_What would Kelly do? I haven't told him about any of this. If he finds out what Dorian is doing, he will destroy himself, trying to communicate in the living realm. Come on, Morrigan, he's pretty much your brother, just think!_

She then remembered how Kelly had gotten information out of the dark Mara all those years ago when Eli's soul was shattered.

"Mother, if you tell me what I need to know. I would have enough authority to get you out of here." That got Regina's attention.

"The curse I cast over him is designed to be irreversible. But I suppose it could be continuously suppressed."

"How so?"

"You see, the curse usually works quickly because it affects both his spirit and his body. His heart pumps tainted blood, and it affects his decision making as that blackened blood goes to his brain and affects the chemicals there, such as dopamine. I suppose dopamine regulation meds would work for a time. Or the power of restoration would free him, which is found in the stone of tanzanite. Now," she stood up, "Get me out of here."

Morrigan smirked, mirroring the expression her mother had given her mere minutes ago, "I said I _would_ have enough authority to get you out... if you were in my domain. Hate to break it to you, but this is Freya's domain, and she's got the Sidhe to handle, which means she's scarier than you, and I cannot change her mind, nor will I try." She then left, feeling both sick and proud of herself for playing Regina's game to get the necessary info.

Stone of Tanzanite? She'd heard that before, many years ago, when Kelly and Dorian had first asked about tanzanite, saying it was the key, and Kelly had tried to use his favor to break the curse. But the six stones available she knew of were: onyx, amethyst, sapphire, emerald, garnet, and peridot. Morrigan's own stone would appear as likely a pearl. So where would tanzanite come in? It was just as confusing now as it was back then. When she'd asked the other council members, some were silent and others confused.

Even if she figured out what her mother had meant, there was another hard part. How the hell were they going to pin Dorian down long enough to give him any form of medication?


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: A new deal**

Felix had been practicing trying to get his wings to move enough for him to fly a little when he heard the knock at the door. He knew it wasn't Hatsune, because she was in the room with him, using telekinesis to help him with the moving of the wings. Amaya and Kyra just barged in, so who would be knocking?

Curious, Felix went over to unlock the door while Hatsune made a show of making the bed to pretend she was no more than a lowly servant.

Words did not begin to describe how shocked he was at who was at the door.

"Aunt Joselyn?!"

Joselyn smiled, "Long time, Felix. You've grown up well."

"Y-Yeah." Hold it... they'd ended up in this whole mess because his Dad had asked the Sardothian coven for help finding Joselyn. Since Joselyn was here right now, then there was nothing keeping him here! "Aunt Joselyn, you're back..."

"Yes, I believe I am." She replied, "You look like you need to go. Am I interrupting something?" Felix shook his head, laughing a bit,

"No, it's just that you being here, now, means I don't have to be here anymore! Come with me!" He grabbed her hand and ran down the stairs of the tower, "Amaya! Valeria!" Both witches came in, and he was overjoyed, "Wedding's canceled!"

"Huh?" Amaya was clearly taken aback, "Felix, dear, who is this?"

"My aunt, Joselyn. The one which my father came to you for help finding. The only reason I am stuck in this hell." Joselyn flinched a little at that, "So if you excuse me, my family has no use for you. Goodbye." He turned to leave, but he shrieked as someone grabbed his wing,

"You're not going anywhere." Valeria sneered, "How am I supposed to know you didn't hire this girl to be your long-lost aunt? And besides, the union between you and Amaya is to prevent war between our covens. Finding your aunt was more a... token of our goodwill."

"_Wow_." Joselyn crossed her arms, "I haven't heard that much bullshit in a long time. And I have been traveling for three years and live in the Carpenter family. But I am Felix's aunt, his mother is my older sister."

"It doesn't matter." Amaya said softly, "Miss Joselyn, I am Felix's fiancé, Amaya. It is wonderful to meet you."

"Yeah?" Joselyn glared, "Well, it's not lovely to meet you." Her expression darkened, before a slight smirk appeared on her face, "You know... fine. You can marry him when _he_ says he wants to and means it." She then vanished,

Amaya cupped Felix's cheek, "Looks like you and I are still getting married, dearest." Felix shoved her away,

"She said you can marry me when _I_ want to. But here's the thing, Amaya, I don't love you! Once I saw you as a potential friend, but now I would rather die than marry you! So no, there will be no wedding. Not that it matters anyway since Kaylee's just gonna wedding crash again like she does every month."

Amaya twitched, but this time Felix was ready and threw a shield around himself as the windows exploded once again. And he left without a word, furious that his hopes of escaping had been dashed.

And he was surprised to see Joselyn in his room again with Hatsune, talking to her.

"Thanks for ditching me back there," he snapped, and Joselyn smiled.

"I do admit it is partially my fault you got in this mess, so I've decided it's my job to get you out of it. I've been traveling for three years, and have come across some witch covens. Valeria and Amaya see you as property and will not let you go. And Hatsune just explained to me what the Sage said about tearing this place to the ground and proving you aren't helpless. I called Kaylee, and she's on board with this plan."

"Okay..." Felix sat down, using magic to make sure nobody could listen in, "And what, pray to tell, is this plan?"

Joselyn made a vague gesture, and a carbon copy of Felix appeared, only in the wedding attire and paint.

"See, Valeria is clearly power-hungry." Another gesture and an old woman appeared with a weird looking lamp, "So don't you think she would stop the wedding for the chance to get three wishes?"

Felix turned to her with a wide grin, "You're the best aunt ever."

Joselyn beamed.

OoOoO

For the first time, Felix did not feel even the slightest bit nervous about his wedding (take 23). This time, he had a plan with the help of his awesome aunt to expose the corruption of the coven to trigger a war, and that way, he could escape.

Apparently, witch wars were much more straightforward and not a bloodbath like he'd been led to believe. It was usually just a game of who could kill the other's matron first. Most wars had a single casualty, and that was it.

He supposed Valeria and Amaya had prevented him from researching because of that because his parents were immune to most poisons, and Harrison had cures for the rest. And since there were no people on Alynthi other than the family, so assassins wouldn't work—especially since Alexa knew many hitmen and many of them owed her a favor.

So right now, Joselyn was weaving illusions while Hatsune did the painting for Felix, who was watching his aunt.

"I thought planeswalkers only used mana,"

"Most do," Joselyn answered, "But since I'm still a Worldbender, I'm a little different. Not drastically so. It's just that my power is on steroids compared to that of others using the same amount of mana."

"That's actually quite interesting." Felix mused, before thinking, "I'm excited for the execution of this plan, but what about the after? Kaylee might be able to convince the others that she doesn't have me, but what if Amaya comes looking for us and captures me before we finish up the plot? And Aunt Joselyn, what if your enemies hear about Muerte and come after you?"

"Don't worry about that. I never used the Muerte form. Didn't have to. Besides, even if it did somehow catch the attention of the Gatewatch or someone, I'm on relatively decent terms with most of them, and they'd either help me or leave me be if I explained I was trying to get my nephew out of forced marriage. But honestly, the second I tell Zoe and Eli what witch war actually is for this coven, this whole mess ends."

"Yes, but then it _would_ become a bloodbath," Felix pointed out, "And I'll be dead since it's part of my bargain with Kyra that no harm can come to Amaya, and we both know Mom would kill her."

"It's true." Kyra came in, "I take it this is your aunt. Apologies, Ms. Carpenter, for my mother and sister. Amaya is... very protective of Felix."

"I think you're mistaking protective and possessive," Felix snapped, brushing down his skimpy outfit, "So I guess it's time."

"Yup. If I were a normal girl, I'd put all these weddings fails on YouTube and get some cash from it. But I'm a witch, and technology is frowned upon here, so too bad." She held her arm out, "You know, even if you hate it, you do rock the look."

"So, I've been told." He sighed, turning to Hatsune and Joselyn, "So... see you in a bit? Is Jared coming?"

"No, actually," Joselyn said, "I don't know what hell has frozen over, but he's trying to be an actual parent to Amhar. I'm pretty sure that even him pretending is gonna die within a day tops. Otherwise, I'm going to be genuinely worried about him. But we both agreed that helping you is a good plan, and even if this plan fails, he will intervene."

"So this should go off without a hitch." Felix smiled a little, "But honestly, why haven't we asked Alexa to kill Valeria and be done with it?"

"Because Amaya would become the matron at the worst possible time." Kyra answered, "Now if I were the heir, it would be a different story. But since you cannot kill her, killing Mother would be pointless. Besides, while Nanami may be an assassin, this whole plan would be a better way to expose the coven corruption, so nobody investigates if Mother has an... unfortunate accident."

"True." He put the crown on, "And just so you all know, if I ever do get married, it's gonna be in my sweats. I officially hate dressing up."

He felt there was something significant he was forgetting. It was right on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't know what thing had his stomach in even more knots and his raking through his brain to find the answer.

But he wasn't given time to realize it, as the ceremony began. Amaya was becoming increasingly elated by the second, assuming Felix was about to be hers forever.

He actually made it to the dais, and it was clear most of the coven expected Kaylee to appear at any second to snatch him away. Felix was genuinely smiling, much to his would-be bride's delight. But they were happy for very different reasons.

"Felix, all you have to do is say the words," Amaya said, and Felix opened his mouth, but was prevented from speaking by the door opening as Joselyn's illusion appeared.

"Excuse me," the old crone said, "I'm looking for the matron of this coven."

Valeria frowned, "I am she. What of you, mortal hag, to interrupt this ceremony?"

"Well, fuck you too." Felix giggled a little, hearing a little more of Joselyn speaking in the old woman for a second, and it was clear the rehearsed speech was about to change. "Anyway, I was planning to sell you this genie's lamp, granting any three wishes, but I guess you aren't interested."

That had everyone's attention. Valeria shoved Felix out of the way entirely, sending him falling to the ground, which was even better,

"First one to catch that crone and bring me the lamp becomes a member of the royal household."

And then everything was a mess of witches fighting each other in search of the crone, while Joselyn appeared from the shadows and grabbed Felix, replacing him with an illusion and making a break for it amid the chaos, running to a portal created by Kaylee. They landed in a thicket of woods, alongside Hatsune and Kaylee.

"Where's Kyra?" Hatsune asked. Joselyn shook her head,

"The Moonbeam coven prevents magic use on the way to the city, like the barrier against planeswalking on Alynthi. So _I_ could get there, but the rest of you can't. And since Kyra needs to float to get around, she'd be more a burden than a help."

"That makes sense." Hatsune mused, before bowing to Kaylee, "Miss Kaylee, I've heard so many things about you from Felix."

Kaylee was clearly taken aback, "Uh... you don't need to bow to me." Hatsune shot up, flushing in embarrassment,

"Sorry. Force of habit."

Felix grinned, "Well, I have a feeling you two will get along quite well. Kaylee, Hatsune charts stars." He went behind a tree to change, leaving the girls to chat.

"I-It's really nothing impressive." Hatsune played with her hair, "Just a hobby. Nothing as amazing as the devices you use to trick Valeria."

Joselyn turned, a dark look in her eye, "Has it been drilled into your head to be respectful?"

"Yes, ma'am." Felix wrapped an arm around her shoulder comfortingly, now that he'd changed into some jeans and a hoodie. The paint was still on him, but it took an hour of constant scrubbing to get that stuff off, so it wasn't like it would smear.

"Hati, this is my friend and my aunt. You can relax with them like you do with me."

Hatsune looked Joselyn over curiously, "But since Joselyn's your aunt, couldn't this make things go south in the plan since she's a known illusionist?"

"Here's the thing," Joselyn clenched her fists and bit her lip, "I'm not a known illusionist. If Valeria recognized me at all, it would be as Anije e Iku."

"Anije e Iku?" Kaylee asked, and Joselyn paused,

"That's right. You weren't around yet. So... you've heard of Kahu?"

"Who hasn't?"

"True. But what many don't know is that millennia prior, Kahu was split into two beings. One of light, Vita, and one of dark, Iku. Both were placed on the death council so they could be watched, lied to about what they were. Iku got her memory back first and left, and was not long after locked in an enchanted tree by Vita, who later left for personal reasons."

"How do you know this stuff?" Hatsune asked. Joselyn didn't answer, too enraptured by her tale, like she needed to unload this massive burden on her chest.

"Centuries later, my father and a young man named Dorian were given their powers, making the lock on the tree unstable since the six stones were the six keys. I don't know at what point Iku fully got out, but she did, and she followed my father to Earth when he was banished by an old fool. Iku tailed him for years, at first trying to possess Zoe while she was in the womb. But even then, she had enough willpower to keep the enchantress away but sent our mother into premature labor in the process. Iku didn't succeed in her attempts until fourteen years later, when my mother, who had been turned into a Darkling, was pregnant with me, making me a Worldbender-Darkling hybrid, which is in itself a volatile combination. So Iku lived dormant within me, forcing me to eat the souls of the living for sustenance, both of us gaining the skills and energy of those I killed. Theoretically, I also gained the remaining life span of those whose lives I cut short, but since I'm already immortal, there's no real way to test that."

"I remember when you used to sneak out..." Felix said. Joselyn seemed to snap out of her trance at that, quickly wrapping up.

"Jared found out eventually, got hurt, and became a stone wielder. You should know the rest."

"I don't really, except it somehow getting my brother kidnapped."

"You can thank Iku crashing the plane a short distance away from him for that." Joselyn replied, "But we went on a quest, I made a colossal mistake, The Tragedy happened, people died, and I fought a dragon. The End."

Kaylee crossed her arms, "What energy was Iku made of that gave her sentience but required her to have a host instead of a physical body? Why do souls power her?" Joselyn merely shrugged in response,

"I have no idea. For me, she was just the multiverse's worst roommate. I never really let myself think about it too much. Maybe ask Grim? He's the closest to a science-based council member, so he might know."

Hatsune looked up at the sky through the thicket of trees, "Cool night air, a sky full of stars, full moon... I wonder if I could spot any constellations."

"If I've learned anything from my travels," Joselyn climbed a tree, tossing down a rope so they could all see, "Is that stars in nature, without human modifications on the world, are the brightest. See, some stars out there is another world or plane, just waiting to be explored."

"Really?" Both Hatsune and Kaylee asked, and Joselyn chuckled,

"Yeah. But those are the extra bright ones. The real stars, the ones scientists do research on, are the fainter ones."

Felix yawned, "It pretty late, guys. We better stay here."

"In the tree?" Kaylee wondered.

"No. On the ground in this general area." Felix hopped down, helping Kaylee while Joselyn helped Hatsune, and they set up camp for the night.

Sitting around the fire, Hatsune brightened, "Alright, bonding time. If you had three wishes, what would it be? Joselyn made that illusion of a genie lamp, and I've been pretty curious."

Felix thought about the question for a moment before answering, "If I had three wishes, they would be to get the hell out of this marriage; to get my wings back, obviously. And... to find someone who wouldn't expect me to be this perfect god-like being and just the teen I'm supposed to be, and preferably a good listener. What about you, Hati?"

"I want the coven to collapse, to have my mom back, and to find someone who sees me for me and not just a servant girl. Kaylee?"

Kaylee had been smiling a little bit knowingly and shrugged when it was her turn.

"Knowledge, my brother's safety, and... I'll have to think about that third one. Joselyn?"

Joselyn hesitated, "I'd wish for a chance to see my father again, and thank him for what he gave up for me; for my family to remain safe; and... I guess to find love, but that's on the backburner. I'd probably save the third wish for a rainy day."

"Cool," Felix sat down from where he had been pacing, "we should get some sleep before the long journey tomorrow. I'll take the first watch?"

"Don't bother," Hatsume smiled, "I'll do it. I'm used to pulling allnighters" She then flicked her wrist, and a small dog appeared, "I've been keeping Bernie dormant, but I don't think she needs to be for now." Bernie ran over to Kaylee, licking her face,

"Hello!" Joselyn giggled,

"Your familiar seems to fit your personality."

"She does." Hatsune pulled out some meat, "Bernie, I have some food." Bernie ran over to the food, before curling up in Hatsune's lap.

And so, all of them went to get some shut-eye, nobody noticing the swirling silver eyes studying them in fascination.

"How interesting..."

OoOoO

Felix was the first one awake, with the sun shining in his face. He turned and saw his wings had decided to work as blankets for the girls. He shook Joselyn awake, followed by Kaylee and Hatsune, "Guys, wake up! we've got a long way to go."

"Maybe not," Joselyn said, getting up, and walking a little bit, before facing the cliff wall and placing a hand on it. An illusion rippled away, revealing a stairwell, "Well, I think this is what we're looking for."

"Oh." Kaylee looked up the stairs, "Sweet."

The walk took a while, especially since Felix was weighed down by his deadweight wings. So the trip was likely two hours with four breaks.

When they got to the top, they saw a castle, and more importantly, the fact a sign that said the witches were gone for the winter. In response, Joselyn literally scaled the castle—making Felix wonder when she learned to do that and confirming the idea of his aunt being a badass.

When she got to the top, they all heard her shout, "Nobody's home?! Oh, come the fuck on! Seriously?!"

"I had no idea witches migrate." Kaylee mused, "You learn something new every day."

Hatsune played with her hair, "That's probably because the Moonbeam coven is closely tied to their bird gods, and as such behave in that manner."

"You couldn't have told us before?!" Everyone asked.

"I didn't realize this coven was like that until just now." Hatsune defended, still looking at the ground in shame. Felix hugged her,

"You didn't know. It's alright. We'll just... go somewhere else? Worst case, Kaylee can use the bargain to her advantage so we can keep looking."

"Felix!"

Felix's stomach plummeted when he saw Amaya flying above. In response to seeing this, Joselyn used her illusions to hide Kaylee and shifted into Muerte,

"Run!"

The stairs were blocked off by guards, and Felix sprinted to the edge of the cliff, trying to will his wings to work at least once, before turning and using his powers to force the guards to stay away from them, deciding to fight. He wasn't going to let himself go back until he at least had a plan to end this permanently. If the Moonbeam coven couldn't help, they had to try something else.

He wanted to get his parents involved but knew he had enough ammo to cause his parents to not listen to his plea to give the coven mercy, and he knew his mother would skin Amaya alive, which was a terrible thing with the bargain he had with Kyra. Back when he made that deal, Amaya hadn't been too bad, so he hadn't seen a problem. But now that she was a suffocating individual, and he saw her death was the only way he could get away, this was a real pain in the ass.

Eventually, though, seeing how many he had just killed, he faltered, taking another step back and looking down at the cliff.

_Might as well give up and accept the fact I'll never be anything more than some trophy husband._

Seeing the change, Hatsune grabbed his shoulders, which had him terrified because it threw away his backup plan to say he had ordered her to come along. Now she was going to be punished for sure, "Felix, no. Your future isn't foretold, it's what _you_ make of it."

"She's right, darling." They both say Amaya coming closer. Muerte stood defensively in front of Felix, not hesitating in the slightest to hold the heir at knifepoint, before remembering that Felix would die if Amaya were killed, which had her lowering her weapon for a second. Amaya held out her hand to Felix. "Let's make a future together. I've loved you since the moment you started playing hard to get. Give me your hand in marriage, Felix."

Felix looked at her blankly for a second, before starting to hold out his hand, but then heard intense laughing.

"Looks like I arrived just in time, didn't I, Angel?" They all saw Kaylee, wearing her Okte leathers and her hair in a bun, "Sorry I was late. I had an errand to run. But it looks like that doesn't matter. It's bargain time."

Amaya snarled, actually attacking Kaylee. In a normal situation, the witch would be dead in seconds, but with Felix's life on the line, Kaylee just knocked Amaya unconscious, and that was that. The other witches backed up, except for some who tried to get in her way, only for them to get shot in the head and blood to spray everywhere.

"Time to go, Felix?" Kaylee offered, and Felix hugged her tightly, making sure every witch saw it. He grabbed Hatsune and Muerte,

"Let's go."

Then they vanished in a portal, landing in Zariya in Eden's tower.

Eden, surprisingly, wasn't there. Joselyn got up and went outside the bedroom,

"Excuse me, where is my sister, Eden Imelda?"

"Oh, Ms. Carpenter?" An elderly woman asked, "The Queen said she was taking her for 'girl time.'"

Speaking of which, both Liana and Eden appeared seconds later, laughing and both wearing regular t-shirts and jeans, unbefitting a queen and a lady of the court.

"Did you see that guy's face!" Liana cackled, and Eden also laughed,

"Don't think he expected the queen to destroy him at poker." Liana ruffled Eden's hair, making it fall out of the remains of a bun,

"I'll teach you to play sometime." She then noticed the four teens, "Oh, hello." She cleared her throat, looking professional, "I'm Queen Liana, and you are?"

"Felix? JOSELYN?!" Eden ran over and hugged her nephew and sister, "I was worried about you both." Joselyn hugged Eden tightly,

"Zoe didn't tell you I was back?"

"She did, but I didn't exactly believe it. After three years, I didn't think you'd ever come back."

Liana frowned at Joselyn, "Do I know you?" her eyes then widened, "Oh! You're Jared's girl and Ben's sister." Joselyn turned to Liana, bowing before her,

"You know Jared and Ben?"

"Know them? I spent years with them in the afterlife." They all went into Eden's room, and Liana pulled out some soda cans, "Ben was my second in command for twelve years. He spoke of you often. And Jared got lured to a cursed mirror by a wraith taking your appearance. You've touched many hearts, Joselyn."

"I guess I have..." Joselyn shrugged, "But that's not why we're here, your highness."

"Damnit Jared," Liana muttered, "Talking me into putting up with this 'your highness' crap." Kaylee cocked her head,

"Huh?"

"Oh, nothing. Jared was actually the one Freya wanted as King of Zariya, but he didn't want to and talked me into doing it. But honestly, could you see Jared as a monarch?"

"Not really." Joselyn admitted, "But Liana, Eden, we need your help fixing Felix's wings. Preferably in a week."

Eden looked Felix's wings over, "Felix, you understand that your wings are crippled, right?"

"I know." Hatsune was the one to say, "But I've heard the Torre of Zariya has the finest healers in the multiverse and may be able to fix the damage done."

Eden got up, "I'll see what I can do." Her clothing changed into her Tenshi robes, and she left the room, coming back with the old woman from before, who seemed so ancient she could turn to dust with a slight gust of wind.

"Felix, this is Amenity, my mentor," Eden introduced, "Mistress, this is my nephew, Felix Sommers."

"A Nephilim child," Amenity said softly, "How did this injury come about?"

"By wings ricocheted off the divide between the Blind Eternities and the Lanes Between. They scarred over time, but moving them much is difficult."

"If done carefully, fixing this isn't impossible." Amenity said, "Imelda, dear, if you help me, we should be able to mend his wings within three moons."

"Um..." Felix sighed, "I only have a week a month in which I can come." Amenity frowned a bit, before making a nonchalant hand gesture,

"No matter. Just don't damage them more at that time, and practice exercises I give you. But mending damage done from a ricochet with the Blind Eternities will be my life's work." She slowly stood up, helping him to his feet, "Imelda, find these other youngins some lodging. Come along, Felix, there is much to be done."

OoOoO

Kaylee and Hatsune had spent the day admiring the kingdom. Liana had granted them access to her personal spending money to use. They'd purchased many things, new books mainly. While they were both having a good time observing, there was a sense of sadness from Hatsune that Kaylee quickly picked up on. She didn't say anything until three hours into their trip when she started weeping when she thought nobody was looking.

"What's wrong?" She asked, and Hatsune turned,

"Nothing... nothing..."

"I'm an Analytical Prowess, you can't fool me."

Hatsune sighed, "It's just that I will be executed in a week. I don't want to die, but I was seen supporting Felix's rebellion, which I'm sure is punishable by an excruciating demise."

"What the hell is wrong with your coven?!"

"I have a list if you want. It's alphabetized."

Kaylee found herself waving her arms around in sheer horror and exasperation, "I have no words. But I think I can get you out of that." Hatsune crossed her arms,

"How?"

"Hm..." Kaylee then brightened as an idea came to her, "If anyone in or associated with this coven kills or harms this girl, Felix, according to the terms of our bargain, will never be able to return. Sound good?"

"You'd do that for me?" Hatsune asked nervously, "It might blow your cover if you show too much care about Felix's wellbeing."

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure you are Felix's mental lifeline in that place, and he would kill everybody there. Technically if he killed Kyra first, the bargain would collapse, and I suspect he knows that. But I also know he will never forgive himself, and since he's my friend, I don't want him to completely lose it."

She then paused, because Hatsune was frozen in place, the same with everybody else.

"You, Kaylee Brock, are a fascinating one." Kaylee looked around through the crowd of people, seeming to be frozen in time, "Much like your dear brother. Are you going to be more of a challenge than him?"

She whirled around and then found herself in a home.

Her former home.

She saw her younger self backed into a corner, terrified as her parents attacked both each other and inched closer to her in the process. People were trying to break into the house.

This was during the mutual killing during The Tragedy. Or the Kingsman Outbreak as Kaylee preferred to call it.

"Do you recognize that child?" She heard that voice ask as she watched her father rip her mother's eye out and saw herself kill her father in self-defense.

She had trouble prying her eyes away from the disgusting scene before her as people broke down the door, and she had to slaughter more and more, becoming a killer even when she was the only one to not be affected.

Eventually, she saw the ground crack under her young self, and, as the world blew up, she was launched into the Lanes Between, knocked unconscious in the process.

But what she did not expect was to see _Alexa_ grab her, pulling her away, placing her gently on another world before running off.

"Well, I didn't expect her to have been your savior. It makes me wonder if my daughter does have a connection to your brother or if you just got lucky, and it's a coincidence."

Wait... Alexa's father. Had fought Jared. Kaylee's eyes widened as she realized who she was hearing in her head.

And then she was in a cozy home carved into a mountain, and Dorian smiled at her in such a way that was either menacing or pained depending on perspective, "Hello, Kaylee."

There was no hesitation as she pulled out a gun and ran at him, only to find herself unable to move.

"Did you really think I would bring you here in the flesh?" Dorian asked with a chuckle, now full malicious no matter how one would slice it, "I just wanted to talk to you. I have an offer I suspect you won't pass up."

"What could you possibly have to offer me after what you did to my brother?"

"Hey, I tried to be nice to him and make it up to him after losing my temper with him. I got rid of the fame he hated. How was I supposed to know it would cause him to go onto a downward spiral which has him actively searching for a gun to shoot himself with?"

The idea her brother was so broken had Kaylee even angrier, "You're not helping your case."

"Sorry about that," Dorian's features softened into pained sadness, and it briefly startled Kaylee, whose analytical power said it was genuine, "I've lived alone in a mountain for fifteen years. I'm not good at communication."

"What do you want?" She asked, "And how did you get me out of there?"

"I didn't. From the perspective of your friend, you fainted. No more, no less. As to what I want," he stood up, "I want to offer you a deal."

"As in a bargain? What would possibly possess me to do that?"

"Don't challenge me," he warned, revealing elongated canines, and his eyes swirled even more, "If I wanted to control you, I could do it, and you are in no position to stop me." He once again smiled. Whether this was to comfort her or an actual attempt at being friendly was challenging to tell. For some reason, only sometimes could her analysis power read him.

He was quiet for a moment before he spoke, "You desire knowledge, which I will gladly grant you, as I have learned much about magic and the workings of the soul for the purposes of my own little... project, which I have since discarded. And I can also ensure the safety of your brother to make sure he doesn't blow his brains out. In return, you will be my spy, and give me information on the Sommers family and those associated with them. Call it an exchange." He held out his hand, "Do we have a deal?"

Kaylee grabbed hold of his hand not entirely of her own will, shaking it, "Deal."

Dorian smirked as a tattoo of the triple moon appeared on both their thighs in such a place it was easy to hide, and Kaylee realized her mind was not entirely her own when agreeing, so now she was trapped in this bargain, "I'm glad."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: More pieces in a disaster puzzle**

Zoe and Amhar had taken to spending the day binging movies and television shows, and eating food. With everyone trying to either locate Dorian, comfort Quantic Jared or was off working, the time of day when the kids were at school was very dull for Zoe. She'd taken to selling her sketches for money, but she had enough drawings at the moment to last for a while. And Amhar needed a buddy too, so it was her job as a secret-aunt to keep the child amused.

What she hadn't expected in a trillion years, however, was for Psychic to straight up say that Amhar was his son. Yes, the resemblance was there, but what the hell was possessing Jared to say this?! He hated kids! Maybe because Amhar was now the same age Joselyn had been when they met, so he was now tolerable? Maybe Cam had talked him into it?

What she did know was that Amhar was staring at Jared, and Jared was looking a little annoyed. She hobbled over to Cam,

"What happened to him?"

"Something about not wanting Amhar's heritage reveals to go down." Camille whispered, "I think he's paranoid about the whole son of Kahu thing."

Jared looked to Zoe, "What are his powers?"

"Teleportation and invincibility from what we've seen," Zoe replied, "Just passive powers."

Jared paused, his expression becoming dark, "Oh. Bull. Shit. We both know there's no way he's anything _but_ dangerous when you look at his heritage." He looked down at Amhar, picking him up and examining him. Amhar just smiled, hugging Jared's neck.

Camille looked to Zoe, "Does he speak?"

"No." Zoe leaned on her cane, "I took him to the doctor. There's no damage to his vocal cords that comes up. So either its a curse, he has a learning disability, or he is just choosing not to—I can't tell you whether that decision was conscious or not because I have no idea. For the most part, he takes care of himself. He likes affection, though. If you guys can't, he'll likely come to either me, Hana, or Other Jared."

"So, he's pretty low maintenance?" Camille asked, and Zoe nodded,

"Yeah. If he vanishes in the middle of the night, he's on a walk. He does that, and it's normal."

"It's true." Elaine came in, seeming...a little off. Then again, Elaine was always a little off, so Zoe was unsure of what seemed so wrong right now, "He usually is out there among the fairies around midnight."

Zoe decided not to think about why Elaine knew that.

Jared sighed, "Well, come on, Amhar. Let's go."

OoOoO

Jared stood at the window, watching Amhar playing with some butterflies—or rather fairies who'd asked to take refuge on Alynthi, but looked like butterflies from a distance.

It didn't make sense. Sure, everyone said Amhar had passive powers, but looking at his heritage showed there was simply no way. He didn't even seem predisposed to the Carpenter bullshit! In all senses, Amhar was the unusual outlier of his family.

Was Amhar purposefully hiding his powers? No... that probably wasn't right. According to the book, Jared had eight years to stop Amhar's turn to the dark side, so there was no reason for him to hide his abilities unless he was already planning something.

Camille came over, "Never thought I'd see you looking worriedly at a child besides Joselyn."

Jared snapped out of his thoughts, "Cam, it doesn't make sense."

"Huh?" She looked up at him, curiously, "What doesn't?"

"He's the son of a Worldbender and Kahu, grandchild of a stone wielder. No matter how you slice it, there's no way he only has passive powers. That's barely a power when you look at his family tree. I've been watching him for the last three days, and he doesn't show any power _at all_ besides teleporting. It doesn't make sense."

Camille put her tea down, "Why do you of all people want him to have powers? I thought you would be thrilled to have a relatively normal son, or as happy as you could be with the whole 'son' thing."

"And in a normal circumstance, I would be glad he seems like a typical kid. But he's the son of Kahu, and looking at him reminds me of the evil that lives in him." That and he knew this kid would kill Joselyn, but he didn't want to worry Camille with that part.

Camille kissed his cheek, "Jared, honey, he doesn't even know he's Kahu's son. He thinks he's your son. If anyone can make sure he turns out good, it would be you. Besides, he's already a sweet kid." She sighed, "Fine. To satisfy your paranoia, I will tell you a little tip about magical children, which I hadn't planned on telling you before since we can't have biological kids, so this would have been irrelevant."

"Oh?"

"Sometimes, the exceptionally powerful kids take longer to come into their powers. It's a coin-flip whether they get all the power upon being conceived or later in life. Amhar probably hasn't grown into his powers yet because he doesn't have to. Remember Felix? It took him nearly two years to activate his powers. That or maybe Zoe's right and Amhar has a development issue."

"I wouldn't call it an issue," Jared muttered, "I'd rather he never grow into his powers."

But he would. Eight years from now, Amhar would be powerful enough to control people and cause Joselyn's death. So what could he do to prevent Amhar from growing into his abilities?

The answer was obvious: hijack Amhar's mind.

Jared was startled when he found himself unable to get into Amhar's head, then he remembered he had given up most of his powers. That or Amhar was stronger than expected. Probably some combination of both.

He tried again, pounding harder and, once again, was frustrated to get no result. Just to test if he was the problem here, Jared went into Harrison's mind, _"Get the fuck out, Jared," _and left. Then he tried Alexa's, only to get kicked out since he hadn't really been trying to stay in.

But this little test did confirm the problem was Amhar.

The child in question came inside, massaging his temples, and grabbed a glass of water.

Jared decided that this ended now. If Amhar was weakened after a couple hits, it shouldn't take much more to get in and disconnect Amhar's mind from his powers. Sure, that would render the boy the equivalent of autistic, but Jared didn't care as he went full throttle on Amhar, who dropped his glass and cried out, clutching his head. The shards of glass were scattered about on the ground, and Jared made a note to deal with that later and went back to focusing all he had to invade Amhar's mind.

"Amhar?" Camille bent down beside him, "What's wrong?" Amhar fell slack in her arms, crying a bit and clutching his head.

_So close,_ Jared gave one more blow to Amhar's mental shields, momentarily shattering them. But he didn't get a chance to get in as they were put up again with ten times the power as Amhar released a banshee-like shriek, and an explosion left his small body, decimating the bungalow.

Jared jolted upright from where he had been thrown to the ground and panicked when he saw Camille unmoving on the ground. For a second, dread filled him like never before, since she had been holding Amhar when he released that raw power. But when he looked her over, Camille was already waking up, a little dazed but otherwise fine. She seemed mostly just startled.

He then turned to Amhar, who was curling into a ball. Jared also noticed more streaks of Amhar's hair were turquoise, making half of his hair that way and not just the singular streak. And, to his horror, Amhar opened his eyes and, for a split second, those normally sea-green eyes were gold.

Kahu's gold.

It vanished as quickly as it appeared, and Amhar squeezed his eyes shut again, and continued to whimper like an injured puppy. Camille crawled over to him just in time to cradle his limp body as he passed out.

"Jared, we need to call Freya." She said, and Jared noticed the blood on her temple. He wanted to insist she rest, but he could tell she had gone into mother-mode in a sense and was worried about Amhar. He had forgotten that Amhar was _technically_ her nephew by marriage, so of course, she'd be at least a little protective of him.

He sighed, "Freya..."

Freya appeared, looking exhausted, but then gasped at the sight of Amhar and what used to be Jared and Camille's home. Since Zoe could fix it without breaking a sweat, Jared wasn't worried about the state of their house, more on worrying Freya would figure out what he had been trying to do.

"My stone was used against him." Freya muttered, placing a lithe hand on Amhar's forehead, "When?"

"I would assume just now." Camille answered, "Do you think it was Dorian?"

"Maybe. I mean, I can't think of a reason _Jared_ would do this... unless..." she shook herself, "It was probably Dorian. But I can tell that whatever happened, it awakened some of Amhar's powers."

_God. Fucking. Damnit!_

Of course. Nothing could come easy for Jared, now could it? Trying to stop Amhar's power growth led to a spurt, and now getting into his head was even harder, and if he failed again, it might become impossible for even Cosmo.

Camille gently picked up Amhar as Freya vanished, having said something about meetings and Tanzanite, "I'm going to take him to Other Jared and Hana. They're better at taking care of him."

...

No matter how much she wanted to deny it, Jared did this to Amhar, and Camille knew it. The questions he had been asking about Amhar's powers and then the same kid collapsing from an attack on his mind were too closely correlated to ignore. She'd also felt Jared's frustration down their bond, and how it had heightened to an extreme when Freya mentioned the attack had unlocked some of Amhar's powers.

So she walked to Hana's place at a brisk pace, supporting Amhar wrapped in a blanket in her arms. Until she could figure out why exactly Jared wanted Amhar close beside the whole "son of Kahu" thing—and she knew that wasn't the only reason—she didn't want these two anywhere near each other.

What she found at Hana's place was rather shocking.

Hana had his hands firmly on a crying Quantic Jared's shoulders, speaking to him in an angry yet devastated tone. And Alexa was wrapped in a blanket, shellshocked.

"What's going on?" She asked and was ignored. Hana was shaking Jared a bit,

"What were you thinking?!" Hana yelled, clearly distraught, and that confused Camille even more, "Talk to me before you try stuff like this!"

"I-I'm sorry..." Jared sobbed, and Hana let his head rest on her shoulder, stroking his hair. Camille cleared her throat,

"Mind if I have some context?"

Jared and Hana both looked up at her, and Jared's lip quivered. Hana gave a regretful sigh,

"Jared tried to shoot himself in the head. Dorian saved his life. For what reason? The hell if I know. We don't know where Kaylee is, or we'd have told her by now." It was then she noticed Amhar, "What happened?!"

"Someone attacked him in his mind. Probably Dorian if he was here around the same time. I don't think my fiancé will be able to deal with a crying child, so I was wondering if you two would watch him, but it seems you're occupied." Jared held out his arms,

"No...it's okay. Give him here." So Camille did, giving the child to Jared. Amhar made little noises, leaning closer to Jared. Hana smiled a little bit, hugging Jared who was holding Amhar,

"Come on, Jared. I'll get both of you to bed. Cam, can you get Alexa out of here and maybe snap her out of this state?"

"Um...okay?" Camille wrapped an arm around Alexa, guiding the young assassin out of the house.

...

Hana didn't know what to do.

She had been having a perfectly normal day, writing a letter to Eden, when Alexa drags a crying Jared into her house and proceeds to shriek about Jared trying to shoot himself in the head and Dorian of all people being the one to save his life.

More importantly, she couldn't believe she hadn't seen the signs. After the Joselyn fiasco, she had been hyper-alert for all signs of suicidal thoughts. But two years went by, everyone was okay, she started to relax, and now _this_!

She shouldn't be surprised. Jared already had crushingly low self-esteem, so getting cut in half, humiliated for all the multiverse to know, and being a living tracker, was bound to get to him. She'd tried to check on him, but usually, he was asleep when she got there and freaked out when he awoke, thinking she was Dorian.

That should have been the first sign, him sleeping through the day. He didn't usually do that. She'd been stupid and brushed it off as him being extra tired or having trouble sleeping at night. And maybe that was the case because he had been having nightmares of Kahu and The Tragedy for years. But she still felt like an idiot for failing to just sit him down and insist he needed help.

Looking at him now, he was holding Amhar like a parent would, but this was also clearly his way of saying he didn't want to talk about it.

But Hana didn't care. She'd dealt with Eli's teenage years as a slave. If she got through that with Eli remaining intact, she could do anything.

"Jared... I'm not gonna push you to talk. Not right now, at least. I just really need you to know I'm sorry it got to this point. You can talk to me, I'm here for you. Sorry I freaked out earlier...I was just shocked and scared. I should have seen this coming."

"It's not your fault," Jared muttered quietly, "I'm just tired of hating myself and everyone outside of Alynthi not taking me seriously. I just..." he trailed off, and Hana plastered on a small smile,

"Well, here's a little inside joke we on Alynthi have. Every time evil comes, after we defeat them, we create a pinata version of them. Kahu's the exception because we don't have an actual form for him. So you get the first whack at the Dorian pinata." Jared sent her an odd look, and she nodded, "I'm totally serious." She got up and pulled out an old scrapbook, revealing Master Fu, Dark Mara, and Regina pinatas, "The Regina pinata was the thing for the twins' 1st birthday. They loved it. Kelly had the Fu pinata all to himself and was more stress relief than anything."

"Fu?"

"An old prick who banished Kelly to Earth and kidnapped two of his kids and left him there. Kelly got back sixteen years after banishment and beat him into oblivion."

Jared smiled a little, but it still didn't reach his eyes. Hana sighed, "You can talk to pretty much anyone here if you need help from someone who went through the same stuff or similar." He raised an eyebrow, and Hana nodded,

"They don't talk about it, even if Joselyn's is common knowledge. Zoe and Eli both went through that stuff, and Eli knows better than anyone what crushing self-esteem feels like—"

"Eli? Really?" Jared asked, "I heard about the whole slave thing, but I thought he..."

"Oh believe me," Hana chuckled, "He was a mess even before that. Actually, he's a lot like you. Smart beyond his years, went to college way early but was still so insecure he couldn't see how amazing he was. Without Zoe, I doubt he would have taken the hint." She then brightened, "Actually, why not spend some time with Eli? I know you two have a cordial relationship, but since Eli isn't away discussing peace terms all that often anymore, I think you two could be good friends. And he does have a ton of influence, so he would likely be able to overpower what Dorian spread around."

"Yeah. I'd do that," they both turned and saw Eli leaning in the doorway, "Cam told me what happened, and I came over to see if I could do anything to help. Zoe offered to make the family hot cocoa, but I decided against that."

"You mean the one with five sleeping pills and some horse tranquilizers?" Hana asked, and Eli nodded, sitting down on the bed,

"Do you want to talk, Jared? Or should I leave you and Han alone to take care of Amhar?" Jared hesitated, before curling in on himself, clearly embarrassed people knew already. Amhar moved closer to him in his pained and slumbering state.

Eli squeezed Jared's hand a little, "Talk to me when you're ready. I came across a technological world called Kaladesh a while ago, and I think you might like it there. They've never heard of Kahu, the stone wielders, or anything related. I can take you there if you want."

"Thank you, Eli." Jared said quietly, "I'll think about it."

Seemingly satisfied, Eli turned to leave, but looked back at him with a small smile, "My kids adore you, and Zoe likes having you around. I've said it before, and I'll repeat it, you're always welcome to join us for dinner and other family activities."

"Maybe not tonight. I kinda just want to be left alone." Eli shrugged and left, but not before sending a pointed look to Hana, telling her with his eyes to look after Jared. It was a nice little trick they shared from their time as slaves, communicating with just their eyes.

Hana was still sat firmly on the bed, "Well, I'm not going anywhere. You can tell Eli to go away, but you and I both know Amhar isn't planning on letting go for a while and will follow you until he figures out how to make you feel better." They both looked down at Amhar, for the first time noticing the extra turquoise pigmentation in his hair.

"Well, he can't unless he can change the past." He held up a lock of the child's hair, "Han, do you know how this happened?"

"I don't actually. Amhar's always had the one blue streak, and it got more apparent as he got older. But the rest of this wasn't here when I saw him yesterday." She got up and opened the window, feeling utterly unsure of what to do. If she tried to change the subject, then he might think she didn't care. But then again, he might hate being the center of attention right now or just not want to be reminded.

But Jared was already getting up, still carrying Amhar, "I want to see what caused this." So she followed him to his lab, noticing he was trying to distract himself, and he rested Amhar on a table, cutting off a small lock of hair and performed a couple tests, called someone, then put the hair under a microscope, "Woah. Han, look at this."

Hana looked down at the hair, "I see glowing hair. So?"

"So, it seems there's some sort of photon energy inside his hair. And Harrison did a scan of Amhar's brain earlier—"

"Is that who you called?"

"Yes. Anyway, it seems Amhar's brain chemistry is changing rapidly, starting a couple hours ago. Namely around his eyes and motor functions. Don't you see, Hana?"

"No, not really."

"Amhar may be the key to figuring out the scientific aspect of magic! Finding someone as they gradually develop instead of having powers from conception or getting it all within ten minutes."

For someone who had just tried to shoot himself, Jared was acting unusually chipper. Maybe the lab was just his happy place, and Amhar was the key to a substantial scientific breakthrough, but as Jared's friend, she felt like there was something else at play.

Deciding to just roll with it and just keep a sharper eye on him, Hana nodded along, "Hm... well, do you think he might start speaking now?"

"Possibly. But I'm more interested in what the scans show is changing in Amhar's eyes," he opened both of Amhar's eyes, and Hana saw that the boy now had heterochromia—with one eye being sea-green, and the other being Kahu's gold.

"So, it's changing his eye color?"

"Possibly. But looking at what the hair color change meant, I think there's more at play. We'll have to wait until Amhar wakes up. He should probably rest for now, since something had to have happened to cause him to be unconscious for this long." He paused, "Actually, we should probably worry about that."

Still confused out of her mind, Hana excused herself briefly and called for Empty,

"Ya?"

"Can I talk to Grim?" She asked, and Empty groaned, before being replaced with Jared's council member.

"Is Jared okay?" Grim asked worriedly, and Hana pursed her lips,

"He tried to kill himself earlier, but he seems perfectly fine now. Do you think Dorian was controlling him to do it, and now the effects have worn off? Or is something going on?"

Grim frowned, "I did sense a spike of danger, but it went away so quickly that I didn't worry too much. I'll check on him." He walked in and started talking to Jared for a moment, listening intently to the potential lead to figuring out the science behind magic, before casually bringing up,

"Hey, Jared. I felt some sort of danger down that little bond we share since you have a copy of my power and all... then I asked Alexa. She was shellshocked saying you tried to...do something...and Dorian saved your life. Are you okay?"

To Hana's surprise and horror, Jared had a genuinely puzzled expression,

"What are you talking about?"

OoOoO

"Fuck!" Dorian cursed as he slowly used some of his chemical compounds to heal the bullet wound in his arm. It hurt like a bitch, but it could be worse.

This was not as he'd planned. When he made the bargain with Kaylee, he had carefully worded it so he only had to save Jared if he was using a gun, having expected the kid to use a rope or pills or a lab explosion. But no, he had to use a firearm, and Dorian had to go save him.

At least an attempt would put them all on edge about Jared's health, but Dorian wanted to have a little more fun with it, so he wiped Jared's memory of the attempt and dulled down the despair of the whole mass humiliation in the multiverse thing.

But having directly removed the memory gave him easy access to Jared's mind, to alter as much as he wished. Maybe if things with the other Jared didn't go as planned, he could use this young stone wielder as a puppet. Or perhaps both. Probably both. Or possibly use that same damn corruption spell as Regina used on him...

No. The corruption spell was too far right now. It would take a lot to make Dorian think using the corruption spell was a good idea when just fucking with his mind was still an option on the table. But he'd have to keep an eye on the young Jared to make sure he didn't try anything with a gun.

But things with the psychic were going splendidly well. It was clear Psychic Jared was developing bloodlust towards Kahu's son, especially since any attack would only increase Amhar's power until he became as strong as a demonlord. A part of him wanted to say "screw it" to the plan of fucking with Jared, and instead goad the psychic into being the one to drive Amhar nuts. _That_ would be hilarious to watch.

But no, that would take too long. It was much more likely Psychic Jared would just attack with brute force before it came down to that.

Thinking about the other stone wielders, Dorian crossed his arms grumpily. He had a plan with the shadow charmer, and it was already in motion. It would take a bit, though, so he had to be patient.

But Kagami... it seemed the death of some chick called Gina had broken her. And after looking in the Book of Prophecies on Gina, Dorian had nearly cried with laughter. Gina died under mysterious circumstances that were either someone fucking up a timeline or Iku was screwing with everyone. With how Iku worked, it could honestly be either, but the Iku option was more likely.

And even better? Gina was Joselyn's former abuser, drove her to self-harm and suicide. Gina didn't blame Iku, she blamed Joselyn as a person. Oh, this was rich. Jared would have to choose between his friend or his daughter. Joselyn was no longer the little girl who suffered in silence about that kind of thing. If she were feeling uncomfortable, she would just leave. Kagami would be happy for a bit, and then...

Dorian laughed maniacally as he pulled out a book on his shelf and got to work.

OoOoO

Psychic Jared knew just how much he fucked up with attempting the attack on Amhar when the kid came back and all the plants under his feet started to grow, and he had an aura to him that he didn't have before, one of power.

Amhar had powers now.

More importantly, he found the Book of Prophecies and was able to read it.

When he'd gotten back from his weekend at Hana's, he hugged Jared and Camille, then blinked a couple times before making a beeline to the study where the book was. It had taken all of Jared's self-contol to not throw him out the window, and instead use telekinesis to take Amhar out of the study, lock the door, and sit the child down.

"So... you have powers now." Jared muttered, trying to hide the anger he felt, mostly at himself for causing this disaster.

Amhar stared at him blankly, and it was then that Jared noticed his one gold eye fixed on him intently, before Amhar's eyes went back to the study. It was almost as though a sudden shift had inspired fear. _Good_.

Amhar was not so afraid of Camille, who gave him some hot cocoa. She had told her fiancé about the other Jared's suicide attempt and then supposed loss of the memory, and Psychic Jared, after confirming there really was no memory there, theorized that it was more likely there was some chemicals in the warehouse when it happened that caused Alexa to hallucinate and Other Jared to act a little off. But still, they all agreed to have someone with the young scientist at all times just to be sure.

Jared and Amhar stared at each other intently, but Jared recoiled when he heard a small childlike voice in his head,

_"I know you want to kill me. But why do you lie about what you are to me? Don't worry, as long as you don't kill me, I'll play along. But that book is dangerous, Jared. I can see it."_

Jared growled, and Amhar recoiled, hugging himself a little bit before drinking his cocoa. Jared took this time to permanently block Amhar from his mind

They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Jared got up to answer the door, shocked by who he saw. Last he saw of her, she was dead...

"Gina?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: God Help the Outcasts**

Kagami and Jared were both sitting and staring at Gina intently, with Camille leaning against the wall.

"Gina?" Kagami asked, "How is this possible?"

"I don't know." Gina replied, "The last thing I remember was what I'm pretty sure was Joselyn making me hallucinate before my heart gave out. Then I woke up here."

Jared visibly tensed and noticed Amhar was giving Gina a look that was either debating whether to kill her or was just scrutinizing her. Seeing as he was a Carpenter by blood, that look could easily be both.

"You were shot." Kagami said, "The investigation said you'd killed yourself."

"So, I was right that Iku did something." Jared muttered, "But, Gina, you have to understand that Joselyn and Iku are two separate people. It was a case of possession, not multiple personality disorder. Joselyn had no control whatsoever on what Iku did. Iku's gone now, we got rid of her."

Gina's eyes widened in horror just as Joselyn walked in. There was silence between them for a second before Joselyn staggered backward and ran out of the house at top speed.

Jared frowned when he heard her thoughts of, _"No no no no no no no no, she's dead, she can't hurt me, nope nope nope nope nope nope, I thought that bitch was dead, oh fuck, oh no, I gotta get out of here. I'm sorry, Jared, but I can't stay here if Gina is."_

Realizing she was about to leave, and he'd never find her again if she did, he ran after her and grabbed her hand mere seconds before she focused her all on planeswalking away. For a moment, he was glad for that barrier, because it gave him an extra moment with his leg to catch up before she was gone.

"Joselyn," he held her hand firmly, letting her know he wasn't going to let go. He understood Gina and Joselyn had bad blood, but maybe this was the chance to make it right. It would take time, though. That and he had just gotten Joselyn back, she was the reason he was even keeping Amhar around, he cared deeply about her, and didn't want to be forced to choose between his friend and his daughter.

"I-I can't stay here, Jared. You don't understand what she did to me."

"You're right. I don't understand, and I'm not asking you to act all buddy-buddy with Gina. Just... don't leave. You can stay with Zoe if you need to."

Joselyn was quiet, and Jared had a moment of dread as he saw her hand gravitate towards the knife she kept at her hip. He wasn't sure if she was about to attack him to get free, or hurt herself. He wasn't sure he'd be able to take it if Joselyn started up with that habit again, but he relaxed since he knew the chances of Gina just existing being enough to make Joselyn cut again were slim, and she needed more help than he thought if Gina just being alive was enough to set her off.

He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not when she whipped out the knife and threw it just behind him, missing Gina by _barely_ an inch. The look on Joselyn's face as her eye darkened was saying she didn't need to miss.

"Joselyn, I need to talk to you," Gina said, handing the knife back to her. But Joselyn recoiled visibly. Instead, Jared took the knife and put it back in the sheath at her hip. He then slowly backed away, making sure the two could be alone. However, he would also be there just in case Zoe suddenly appeared, and things got bloody—he wasn't going to pretend the majority of this crazy family didn't want Gina's head on a spike and had taken a breath of relief when she was dead.

...

Joselyn and Gina stared at each other, with Joselyn fighting back the utter terror in the face of the woman who drove her to self-harm and suicide and verbally abused her for a year. In Joselyn's mind, Gina was no better than her vile stepfather and the darkling possessing her mother. If anything, Gina was worse, because she never forgot Joselyn existed.

"Joselyn... I..." Gina looked ashamed at the ground. Joselyn bared her teeth a little, making it clear she wasn't the same little girl who would cry at those cruel words spat at her.

_"Don't you wish Iku was here? She could kill this bitch, and you would be completely blameless."_ Joselyn had to forcefully shake away those dark thoughts.

"What do you want, Gina? Don't you have someone else's life to cut short?" Both Gina and Joselyn herself were taken aback by the accusation and venom in her tone. But Joselyn found herself happy about it because it was about time she had the power to pull strings against her abusers and fight back.

She saw all the strings attached to Gina's nerves. How easy it would be to tug on them until Gina's heart gave out in agony, and she went back to hell where she belonged. How and why was she even back?

"I'm sorry, Joselyn. For what I did to you. I... I was lashing out at you because I let emotions cloud my judgment. I know it wasn't your fault."

_"I'm sorry! Please understand, even if you don't forgive me. I didn't mean to!"_

_"Shut up, you little monster, sorry's not gonna cut it!"_

"Shut up, Gina, sorry's not gonna cut it." It was clear by Gina's expression that she remembered saying that similar statement years ago. And Joselyn had a vengeful and malicious grin, "Do you know just how badly you affected me? You drove me to self-harm and suicide, and you didn't even try apologizing to me when I slit my own throat! You were just nice to me so Jared would talk to you again, and it was _clearly_ half-assed!"

"Joselyn—I know I should never have gone that far. I'm really sorry—"

"I said sorry to you for something that wasn't even my fault for a year straight! I was nine and ten years old! And did you listen to me? Did you acknowledge in the slightest that I was a child who needed help and not to be told she's a monster? Nope." She had Gina pinned against a tree at this point, as she slowly pulled up her sleeve to reveal that wretched word in her skin, "_You_ might as well have held the knife."

Gina was pale as a sheet at this point, her expression that of mortification as she realized just how far she'd taken it. A small part of Joselyn knew Gina understood why forgiveness was impossible, and a voice sounding much like Gideon's was screaming at her that this was enough. But the more dominant part of her brain was saying Gina needed to feel all that pain she had inflicted.

It was a neat trick she'd learned over to years. Back when she first learned she could create the illusion of emotions, she had detested the idea, but this darker side of her loved it as she really did make Gina feel all that despair and not a word was said.

"Joselyn! Stop!" Jared ran over and grabbed her shoulders, and she uncharacteristically glared, because this was her fight and how dare he get in the way of her revenge—then her eyes widened as she came back to her senses and mentally kicked herself for going so far. She released her hold over Gina but didn't bother apologizing. She stormed off, but Jared followed her,

"What the hell was that? I know you two don't have a good relationship, but I didn't think _you_ would have such homicidal desires."

Joselyn scoffed, "Believe me, Jared. If you had any idea just how bad it was when you were in that coma, you would understand why I cannot _ever_ forgive her."

"She's not terrible—"

"Says you!"

"She was acting out of grief and spite, something I know for a fact the rest of this family is guilty of doing."

"Yeah, sure." Joselyn laughed, "But did any of them ignore all evidence given to them and decide that driving a child even deeper into self-loathing was a good idea? No. I apologized to her hundreds of times, and she didn't listen. She just made me feel even worse about myself to the point I had decided very early on that I was going to kill myself once I made sure you were alright. I have no plans of even pretending anymore after what she put me through."

Jared looked away from her, and she sighed, running away in tears. She was about to go pack her bag and get back to her adventures in the multiverse far away from Gina when she ran into Rhydian.

"Ah! Sorry, Rhydian."

"It's fine." Rhydian shrugged, before pausing, "Hey, are you okay?"

"I..." she bowed her head, "No. I'm not okay." Rhydian wrapped an arm around her and led her to the ship, where they both groaned when they saw Gizmo snogging Spencer.

"Guys!" Joselyn covered her eye, "I didn't need to see that."

Gizmo brightened, "Jos!" Her hair grabbed Joselyn and brought her over for a hug. Gizmo was the new member of the Outcasts and had developed a relationship with her fellow analytical teen since those two could hold an intelligent conversation together.

The ship was quite big due to getting it as a reward for finding some lost children a couple years back. It was basically its own big house that was flying around. They'd been told when they got it that it could withstand the Blind Eternities, but none of them planned to risk that unless _really_ necessary.

Tarsa came in, "Rhydian, there's a party on the world next door. Wanna go?" Rhydian shrugged, then sat down with Joselyn,

"What's wrong?"

"My abuser came back from the dead and is being nice, and I'm certain it's all an act to make Jared nice to her, and the second we're alone, she's gonna try hurting me again. And Jared wants me to be friendly with her, completely ignoring what she did to me, and thus forgiveness is impossible."

"So, you don't want to go home?" Indigo asked, "You know, if you want, I could stage a little... accident... for this bitch if you want? I bite her once, and it's game over for her." Indigo was a narcoblix, vampiric in nature, as Joselyn had learned, meaning she could bite someone and be able to control them in their sleep. Partner her up with Robin the siren, and you have a deadly duo.

Joselyn chuckled, "As tempting as that is, I need to stick to Gideon's teaching, about taking lives being a last resort, and not just for the sake of my own sanity. I lost control of my temper a moment ago. I really need a break from this."

Ignasis came in, "Well, you came to the right place!" He sat down next to her and frowned when he noticed a burn scar on her shoulder, "How'd you get that?"

"I got a fireball chucked at me and didn't dodge completely. It's fine." She flinched when the pixie's hand touched the scar, and watched in amazement as it vanished completely, as though it had never been there.

"I can heal the damage done by magic." Ignasis explained, "It's not much, but I hope that helped a little."

"Yes, actually. Thank you."

Robin came in as well, "So... if you need a break, we could head to a party if you want."

Joselyn thought about it. She'd never actually been to a party in her fifteen years of living, except for Zoe and Eli's wedding, so she was curious about how it worked.

"Sure. That sounds fun."

OoOoO

The party was at a tavern, and for some reason, nobody batted an eye at the teens who were here. There was clearly alcohol, which Joselyn decided not to drink since Jared had said she couldn't drink until she was seventeen.

Turns out, that wasn't an issue since Ignasis drank seven bottles of what looked to be vodka.

"How are you alive?!" She asked in exasperation, and Ignasis grinned,

"Pixies can only get drunk on their own wine, and it takes way more of anything else to even get a slight buzz. Besides, you don't want to drink, so more for me."

Rhydian was also drinking water, "Warning: these idiots get drunk fast. If you don't want to drink, stick to it."

"Well, I'm torn. On the one hand, my older sister has been drinking since she was two—"

"I'm not sure that's healthy."

"It's not, but blame crazy grandma babysitter. But my sister turned out fine, and I'm curious about this stuff. On the other hand, Jared told me no drinking until seventeen, the legal age to drink in his homeworld. But then again, he's asking me to be nice to the woman who made my life hell, so why the hell should I listen to what he has to say?"

Rhydian crossed his arms, "As your friend, I'm going to tell you I don't recommend it. If you want to try a little sometimes, I will let you try a sip or two of _mild_ drinks when we are away from a party. The only reason I let my friends drink is that Ignasis is a pixie and therefore drinks a lot by nature, and I met the others besides Gizmo in a tavern. Cheap lodging, before you ask. So it was already low-key too late, and they enjoy it from time to time—oh no."

"What? What's oh no?" Rhydian pointed behind them and gestured to Tarsa in a drinking competition with someone, "Oh no."

"Yup. And if you notice, her opponent is drinking watered-down booze."

"Oh no."

"And Tarsa's a drunk pyromancer with a super-strong robot hand."

"Oh no."

"Yeah. I feel like I should stop this before someone gets hurt."

Robin growled at her drink, "I'm trying to get drunk, barkeep, don't you understand? Please gimme another drink." Ignasis flew over,

"Welcome to my life."

Rhydian laughed and groaned at the same time, "Part of me wants to stop this, but the other half wants to laugh as this all unfolds."

"I kind of just want to watch this." So Joselyn and Rhydian relaxed and watched everything go down. Gizmo and Spencer were dancing, which gave Gizmo the chance to use her long hair to steal stuff.

Rhydian chuckled and held out his hand, "Care to dance? Might as well try something else besides drink water. Don't touch the brownies since I'm pretty sure they have pot in them." Joselyn laughed and took his hand, dancing and having a good time until...

"I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS, VANCE!" Tarsa roared, and Indigo grabbed her arm, dragging her away before things got messy. Tarsa tried to punch her but fell over in response.

But still, it ended in someone yelling, "Bar fight!" and thus, a fight broke out.

Rhydian didn't even flinch as things went flying, and everyone attacked everyone. Joselyn quickly realized he had copied her power, and now they were both invisible.

"What a lovely first impression of my friends." Rhydian muttered sarcastically as he sat down at a booth in the corner, gesturing for her to sit with him, "But as long as nobody dies, we should be fine."

Spencer grabbed Gizmo, and they both booked it, Tarsa was laughing hysterically with flaming fists, Indigo was watching from where she hung on the ceiling, and Robin just stabbed someone to death with a chair.

Joselyn watched in horror as Tarsa jumped on top of someone and scratched at her opponents' faces, melting them in the process. She then turned around and launched a fireball in a person's face.

Rhydian didn't even need to get up from his seat. One look at that melted face, which was more a puddle of charred goo than anything else said that guy was dead as a doornail, "Yup. This has taken a turn for the worst."

Tarsa didn't seem to process that too much, but looked down at the dead body a little, "Damnit! If I get banned from one more city—! Yeah, fuck this, I'm outta here."

Rhydian took Joselyn's hand, "Okay, time to go. Ignasis!" He grabbed his drunk pixie friend, "Let's go! Tarsa," he looked to where Tarsa was trying to break down a window,

"You know," Tarsa said, "I wonder if it's legal to eat someone if you have their consent."

"I... do not... know." His eyes widened, "Crap! Robin!" He ran back and came out with a passed out Robin on his shoulder, "Guys, back to the ship. When y'all said party, I did not think you meant a tavern party, I thought you meant bowling or some shit."

"No, but that would be fun, though," Gizmo said, not drunk, "Look at all the stuff I stole!" She held out a bag, and Rhydian facepalmed,

"We're supposed to be doing good, not getting drunk and stealing stuff."

"Come on, Rhy," Indigo shrugged, "We don't do this often, and usually we behave, but Joselyn needed to have a wild night." Rhydian glared at them all,

"If her Dad tries to kill me, I'm gonna be hella pissed."

"Well, it's not like she's drunk," Spencer pointed out, having to pick up a passed out Tarsa as they got on the ship, "She just danced a little and watched a barfight."

"Well," Joselyn looked up, "I'd like to see the city." She looked around at the city, a mix between medieval and modern, "Maybe walk for a little bit?"

Rhydian nodded, "Sure. Spencer, can I trust you and Gizmo to watch the drunks?"

"Sure." Gizmo said, "Have fun, Joselyn." She went into the ship, and Rhydian gestured for them to start walking.

Moonlight glimmered on the water as they walked along the iridescent river that traversed through the city. As they talked for a bit, Joselyn found herself laughing, thoroughly enjoying strolling under the starlit sky and admiring the various stalls that lined the streets.

It was a chilly autumn evening, and the frost nipped into her skin like tiny irritating bugs. _Why didn't I bring a thicker coat?_ Joselyn thought to herself as her body began to shiver with cold, so in the hope of stealing some of his body heat, she huddled even closer to Rhydian. But Rhydian looked at her as his raven hair fell over his eyes, and he smiled.

"Are you cold?" Rhydian asked as he put his arm around Joselyn's shoulder and pulled her against his body.

"A little," Joselyn replied, trying not to sound too desperate for warmth. Rhydian swiftly stepped away and shrugged off his thick coat and putting it around her shoulders. His scent soon cocooned her, mist and jasmine. Joselyn smiled in thanks, which immediately turned into a frown when she saw Rhydian smiling at her. A rosy blush crept up her cheeks.

Rhydian took one step towards her. Then another. "You've got a little..." he brushed some hair out of her face that she'd been subconsciously using to hide the eyepatch. At this point, Joselyn had to look up at Rhydian's gaze but had to avoid his eyes by looking down, which evidently meant looking at his broad chest, as another blush rose over her cheeks. That was when she realized he was wearing even less clothing than her without his coat keeping him warm.

"Shit, Rhy! You must be even colder than me! Here, you can have it back. I'm warmer now," which sounding unconvincing even in her own head. It must have seemed as bad as she thought because Rhydian lightly covered her shoulders with the coat again, saying, "No, it's okay. I'm used to the cold."

Joselyn graciously smiled and accepted his coat again. A silence settled over them like a blanket, and Joselyn walked to the railing and leaned over, peering into the glistening pond. Rhydian's reflection joined hers on the water undulating with the current as he stepped up to her side.

"Thank you, Rhy, for getting me away from Gina." Joselyn sighed, "I don't know what I would have done if I didn't run into you. Maybe continue my travels, but..."

"It wouldn't be the same?" She nodded, and he smiled sadly, "I understand how you feel. Believe me. But I'm not going to let her hurt you."

"I'm not worried about that," Joselyn replied, "I know for a fact the majority of my family hates her guts. She puts a toe out of line, and she'll get smited." She looked up at the stars, "I think I went too far earlier. What if she was genuine in apologizing, and I... I'm not very good at sticking to Gideon's teachings when my past comes up."

"Well, I can't say I blame you. From what Gizmo told me, your life has been mostly just abuse of some form. You got three years to be free of that, and now you're thrown into it again. When you finally feel like you belong, your abuser comes back through unknown circumstances, who just so happens to be a close friend of your adopted father. If I were in your shoes, I'd feel the same way." He turned to look at her, "Who's Gideon?"

"Someone I met on Ravnica. He taught me a new way of thinking right before he..."

Rhydian hugged her, "I underestimated how much of a shitfest your life has been. Ravnica? During the Tragedy? During the Nicol Bolas attack?"

"You know about that?"

"Yeah. I spent three years looking for you, and one of those stops was on Ravnica. Still feels rather rude of Bolas to try accending to godhood in the middle of another asshole trying to destroy everything. Can they just take turns instead of being a double whammy on the poor planeswalkers?"

Joselyn laughed at the idea of Kahu and Bolas arguing like an old married couple over whose turn it was to terrorize people. It wouldn't happen in any sense, but the idea was still funny.

"I wish. That day was hell."

The tranquil lapping of the water was a relaxing sound as Joselyn and Rhydian enjoyed being in the other's presence, chatting about everything they could think of from life, learning they had more in common than their powers.

When they stopped, they both rose to gaze at the water below them. Rhydian turned back to Joselyn and squeezed her hand a bit as he quickly said, "If you need somewhere to stay, we have a spare room on the ship. We don't stay in place for long, and have mainly stayed on Alynthi because of Gizmo's attachment to you."

"She doesn't seem all that attached. It's not like she's been clingy."

"Yeah, but she was actually afraid you were avoiding her because you didn't want to be friends anymore. She was trying to find you to make sure you weren't dead in a ditch somewhere. Right now, she's trying to find out if you even want to be friends."

"Of course I do. I should have at least checked with Gizmo, let her know I was okay. I thought she was trying to take me back to the family." Guilt clenched her heart once again, and Rhydian noticed.

"You're upset."

"I'm perfectly fine." Joselyn lied and, sensing her lie, Rhydian raised an eyebrow in question. Sighing, she continued with her eye fixed on the water as if it gave her the courage to talk about it. "I am fine… just guilty. Crushingly low self-worth for years left me blind to the fact I really did have a friend. I guess I took her for granted."

Rhydian leaned in and pressed a small kiss on her forehead. "Just talk to her, and maybe have some girl time together while I nurse my hungover buddies back to health."

Joselyn played with a strand of her hair, "Speaking of which, we should probably get back to them. The others will be wondering where we are."

Rhydian grinned. "Race you."

"Oh, it's on!"

Running all the way there, Joselyn barely managing to win, and she had a kernel of suspicion it was only because Rhydian let her, they entered the ship. Gizmo and Spencer reached them as soon as they were through the door, pleased they had finally turned up.

The four of them danced and laughed and sang all night. Joselyn decided during that time that maybe staying with them wasn't such a bad idea.

OoOoO

Amhar was trying to clear his head. Ever since he woke up after than agonizing pounding in his head, he was able to see this thin black aura around most people and occasionally things. On the twins and a couple others, and on himself, he saw none.

But in Jared's home, he felt a pulse from that book. When he had laid eyes on it, he saw more aura than anything he had seen before. It was pouring off the paper. How could no one notice it? Did Jared know how evil that book was? Judging by his supposed father's protectiveness over it, and the growing black aura around him, Amhar guessed the answer was no.

But then that woman called Gina came in, radiating darkness. Since she was supposed to be dead, Amhar was unsure if that evil came from whoever had resurrected her, or just the fact she was a contemptible person who hurt Joselyn. It could honestly be either, but seeing as Ms. Kagami deeply cared about this Gina person, he assumed it had to do with the resurrection. So he gave Kagami a note, warning her about that.

Then he went to Jared the psychic and warned him about the book again since it was hard now to get into his head to speak. Jared didn't give him more than a glance before throwing away the note and leaving.

_Fine, I'll take matters into my own hands._

Amhar then walked to the castle, where Roxas was leading the other kids as they worked on a plan to kidnap Felix from the tower he was being held in.

"Oh, hey, Amhar!" Catra waved, "We're working on a plan to save Felix since the adults would need to deal with politics. Wanna help?"

Amhar nodded, but first held up a sign, reading:

_"Guys, I need your help."_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: The Book**

"You need our help?" Hugo asked, "What for?"

Amhar wrote another note, _"Jared's in trouble. There's a book in his house that I think is turning him evil. He won't let anyone go near it, so I need your help to take it so we can see what's freaking him out, and then destroy it."_

"Which Jared?" Aelin asked, "Because depending on the Jared, this could either be easy or borderline a death sentence."

_"Psychic."_

"Damn," Catra muttered, turning to a very annoyed Roxas, "He's asking us to steal a fancy book from Jared, the Psychic. I mean, you're obviously gonna have to do this, Roxy, since you can phase through things."

Roxas looked in Amhar's direction, "Amhar, how is this a good idea? And before you reply, please talk in my mind if you can, because notes are not effective for me."

_"What else are we supposed to do? Kill Jared? For the record, I might ask you to do that if it comes down to it."_

"Friendly reminder that Jared is my uncle."

_"I'm just making a point about how bad things could get."_

"Oh, wow. That isn't very good. So what's the plan?"

Aelin sat down, "Okay, so if this book really is essential to Jared, he's not going to leave it alone, especially if he knows Amhar knows about it. We also need to take into account that Jared may attack Amhar while looking for it, so this means Amhar must have an airtight alibi. So, Amhar, I suggest you spend the evening with my Mom. If anybody isn't afraid of an angry Jared, it's Mom."

Catra nodded to herself, "Seeing as Roxas is completely immune to psychic attacks, he will be able to get _in_ undetected, but how will he get out with the book? Even then, how will we hide the book? I should be able to quickly destroy it, but who knows what would happen if Jared lost that book that might be slowly turning him evil."

"If we destroy this book," Hugo said to Amhar, "Jared will hunt us for the rest of our days."

"Then you and I will have something in common, won't we?" Danielle replied, "Besides, I like having powerful enemies. It makes me feel important."

"Says you," Elaine said calmly, "Because you're the one with uncontrollable luck. But we have another problem in the form of Gina—who Kagami basically locked in Jared's house, probably to protect her from all the people who would want to kill her. Why don't we throw her under the bus?"

Amhar hadn't actually noticed Elaine was here, and his eyes widened at what his reading from her was, and the blackness surrounding her.

Clearly he couldn't have her as part of the plan, especially if her idea involved killing Gina as a method of distraction. Getting someone to kill Gina wouldn't be hard, per se, it would actually be ridiculously _easy_, but that didn't mean it was the right thing to do.

But it wasn't like the others would listen to him if he said that Elaine needed to leave this project. And it was entirely possible that Elaine would betray them to Jared and then they would all—except Roxas—die horrible deaths.

So, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

"So..." Catra frowned, "I can...make her disappear?"

"If by disappearing you mean disintegrate," Hugo turned to her, "then yes, that would work, and I suppose that is a perfect crime if she is reduced to dust which could be blown away in the wind... well given her reputation..."

"Oh, for the love of God," Roxas threw his hands up, "We are physically thirteen at the oldest. We should not be plotting the murder of Uncle Jared's friend!"

"Have you met our parents?" Elaine asked, "This is normal."

"No, it's not!" Roxas snapped back, clearly the only child to not have the violent side of a Carpenter personality. Aelin didn't seem to care,

"As long as Uncle Jared doesn't come for our parents or us, I don't really care what happens to Gina. Can't we call Alexa and be done with it? She's the assassin."

"Guys! Stop it with the murder!" Roxas stood up, "I'm taking charge here. Hugo, you shapeshift into Kagami to get Gina out and on a walk with you. Joselyn is already going to be attempting to spend an evening with Jared tonight, so I can sneak in while he's busy. Catra, can I trust you to use your kwami form to keep watch and make sure nobody gets in the way? Dani, keep Aunt Camille distracted."

"Tonight?" Danielle asked, "Sorry, no can do. I've got some Hanyou stuff tonight. Tomorrow morning will be fine, though."

"Hanyou stuff?" Elaine asked, and Amhar frowned at the momentary predatory smirk.

"Yeah, Hanyou stuff. It's something about the half-moon and our powers. I don't really know, but whatcha gonna do about it?"

"Nothing."

Roxas ran his hands through windswept golden hair, "Alright. So we'll save Felix tomorrow. He'll be able to help us decide what to do with the book. Let's go get that book."

OoOoO

Roxas crept into the bungalow with no trouble, phasing through doors and walls, using echolocation to move around, and feeling for the magical signature of the book. If this thing was really as dangerous as Amhar seemed to think it was, it had to have a way to track it.

Eventually, he did find the book, holding it in his hands. But then he heard the sound of Jared outside and cursed under his breath,

_"Aelin!"_ He called to his twin down their twin-bond, _"Jared's back! What do I do?!"_

_"Did you even have a plan if this happened?!" _Aelin asked, equally panicked.

_"I thought adrenaline would take over, but it did not!"_

He felt for a window and opened it just enough to slide the book through before phasing through the wall and running in any direction until he heard Elaine next to him.

"My cottage, hurry!"

He followed her, stumbling on the occasional stick. At some point, he felt someone grabbing his hand and assumed it was Elaine. There was a small hint of fear that maybe it wasn't Elaine, and he was being kidnapped, but he could quickly phase through any prison he was put in, so he wasn't too worried.

"Alright," Elaine said, and Roxas relaxed when he felt himself inside her cottage and touched the walls to be sure. This was the right place, "Now we need to translate the book."

"Translate it?"

"Yeah, it's in some weird language I can't identify. I'll call Hugo. But for right now, you should just relax."

Roxas then felt something pressed against his mouth, dragging him into unconsciousness before he could react. The last thing he heard was Elaine's laughter.

OoOoO

Amhar had been cuddling with Zoe when they heard Aelin scream from down below in the courtyard. He ran to the window and looked down, seeing Aelin was carrying Roxas on her back. He was floppy and lifeless.

"Roxas!" Ignoring her lousy leg, Zoe ran to the transporter, and Amhar teleported to the ground, seeing a frantic mother trying to wake her son, "Roxas, baby, wake up!" Eli came running out too, seeing what had happened to their child. He looked to Aelin,

"What happened to your brother?"

"I-I don't know! I found him like this in the woods."

"What was he doing in the woods?" Zoe asked, holding Roxas tightly, shifting into Stardust to carry him more effectively.

"Don't know, and I don't think it matters." Aelin replied, "What's wrong with him?"

Amhar looked at Roxas, his stomach in knots, knowing this wasn't going to be good. He turned to Aelin, slipping her a note asking where the book was. Aelin sighed, pulling the book out of her backpack subtly.

"I've got it. We'll see if Felix can translate it in the morning."

_I've got a bad feeling about this._

OoOoO

Felix had been laughing and spending some quality time with Kyra when he got an alert from Hatsune that his family was here to see him.

He walked to his room and saw Aelin was sitting with Danielle and Amhar, all three looked sad and scared. Felix also noticed Amhar had more blue in his hair, and one of his eyes was gold.

"What happened to Amhar?"

"Don't know, don't want to know." Danielle replied, "Oh, and Roxas was poisoned."

"Poisoned?! By who!?"

"We don't know who, but he inhaled pieces of ground-up Phoenix eye, which rendered him so sick he can't wake up for longer than a few moments. But anyway, we haven't looked inside yet, but Amhar says it's turning the psychic Jared evil."

Felix looked inside, recognizing the language within a few moments, "Hey, Amhar, you're gonna want to read this yourself." He sat down next to Amhar. Judging by his shocked expression, he too could read it.

"What does it say?" Danielle asked, looking over their shoulders, "I wanna see!"

"It says that in eight years, Amhar is gonna turn evil and kill Joselyn. But here's the thing, the contents of the book up to Jared's death are all perfectly accurate, but this future is all kinds of weird and doesn't mention anything that's going on right now."

"So, you think someone created a fake future and gave it to him for that purpose?" Aelin asked.

Felix shrugged, "No, I think someone gave it to him to turn him evil."

"That's what I just said."

"But mine wasn't in the form of a question," Felix replied, "so it came from a place of power."

Danielle rolled her eyes, "True, but what do we do with the book now, if it is telling Jared fake things?"

"Well... I think the most logical conclusion is to destroy it. However, Jared's probably memorized it," Felix crossed his arms, "But he's a psychic, so making him lose his memory of the book. Unless..."

"Unless?"

"Well, I suppose one hell of a head injury would fix the problem."

Aelin then started crying, "I-If Roxas was here, h-he'd say we can't h-hurt people." Felix held both his younger sisters close,

"I know, girls. We'll think of another way. And I'm sure Aunt Eden can heal him." His eyes then widened when he realized he'd messed up because Amhar was reading the book, tears in his eyes.

Then he vanished in a puff of sparkles.

OoOoO

Eden had been humming to herself, working on healing a man with a broken spine, succeeding.

Amenity smiled with pride, "Excellent, Eden Imelda. It seems your time with the Queen has been helping you focus."

Eden smiled a little at the mention of her new friend. She had to admit Liana was good at stress relief, and joking around, all while still managing to rule a massive kingdom benevolently. Honestly, Liana might be the one in need of relaxation.

She finished with the procedure and walked into her room, but froze when she saw Amhar was there, looking at her coldly.

"Amhar? What are you doing here?" She asked, trying to hide the fear in her voice at the sight of her secret son.

Amhar walked up to her and held up a page of a book. Eden paled when she read what is said. About the truth of Amhar's parentage.

He looked at her, and she stared at him with wide eyes, waiting for his reaction. Until a wide grin blossomed on his face and he hugged her,

"Mom..."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Turn in the Tides**

Kaylee had been observing her brother's behavior as he worked with Harrison to get the poison out of Roxas' system. He seemed much more confident than usual—meaning he had _any_ confidence outside the lab. Now, if she hadn't heard about a potential suicide attempt that Dorian saved him from, she would be thrilled that he was a little more confident. But Dorian had obviously gotten involved, so this was clearly a bad thing.

"A bad thing?" Kaylee whirled around and saw Dorian behind her, "What? Were you not expecting me? We have to share information somehow, now don't we? And seeing as I have upheld part of my end, I think it's time you returned the favor."

Kaylee looked around, seeing everything was frozen around her, and growled in Dorian's direction, knowing he was only taking the parts of her mind and soul that couldn't attack him. It was moments like this that she _really_ hated magic.

She then found herself in Dorian's home and watched him like a hawk. He stared at her with a small smile, cocking his head in a way that would be considered innocent if she was dealing with pretty much anyone else. But she knew this gentleness was all a facade, much like how the Wicked Queen disguised herself as an old hag to lower Snow White's guard, or maybe he was the apple itself, with poison to its sweetness.

"What did you do to Jared?" She asked angrily, watching his movements, keeping her guard up, noticing a lever in a small hole in the ceiling, which was high enough that only he and his stretching limbs could reach it. What did the switch do?

Dorian drank something out of a mug, and Kaylee noted it was an abnormal red color. Was it an energy drink? She doubted that, but snapped up to watch his eye movements as he nonchalantly replied with, "I upheld part of my end of our bargain, as I said, I made sure your brother didn't blow his brains out."

"And made things far worse." She retorted, and Dorian raised an eyebrow.

"Far worse? How so? I erased the more painful memories and influenced him to be more confident. If you love him, you should be happy for him. And who knows? It's no secret that Victoria is interested in him, maybe he can score a date." He looked at her before his grin grew mischevious, "Oh, I see. You figured it out already?" She didn't need to ask to know what he was talking about.

"Alexa isn't your daughter."

"Ding ding ding! She gets it right!" Dorian shrugged, "Nope, she's not mine. Everything she knows and fights to have back is a lie. I never married the woman she called 'Mom.' Maegan was actually just my stalker who I put up with since I didn't know what the hell I was doing, and the girl she called 'sister' was Maegan's child, not mine. Don't worry about DNA tests or whatever, I'll tell her when it's convenient. But right now, she's too useful to me, thinking I'm her father. But I mean, really, the life she would have led without me sounds pretty miserable."

"The Blackwell Coven."

"Bingo! Do I need to give you a gold star?" He asked sarcastically, and Kaylee clenched her fists, making it clear the fact he had enough power at the moment to prevent an attack was the only reason she hadn't snapped his neck—if that was even possible with how he could move. She hadn't felt this helpless since the Kingsman Outbreak years ago, unable to stop what was happening. So she did what she could to get to know her enemy.

Dorian seemed to be watching her curiously, "Do you want anything? I don't have much, but I can take you down to the town if you want. I don't want to be just the bad guy, maybe we can be friends. If things were different, that is."

Kaylee thought about this. She wasn't against throwing civilians under the bus, so this might be the chance she needed to see what makes him tick. And even better, she could use the fact she didn't technically have a body right now to test the limit of Dorian's powers.

It was strange to her how he was laying his cards out. When he said he'd give information, she had expected workings of the soul and such, which was information she still wanted, but it was interesting how open he was about his evil plans. It wasn't quite monologuing, because she wasn't exactly in a trap, and he wasn't saying his whole scheme. It was almost as though he had already executed the plan associated with this, so it didn't matter if she told Alexa the truth—though, to Dorian's credit, life with the Blackwell Coven back then sounded terrible, so maybe he really did save her. She shook herself as she decided that the moral grey area of kidnapping a child from Regina was a topic to take up with Amelia later.

She watched him put on a scarf, but no jacket. The only purpose she could think of for putting on the thin scrap of blue cloth but nothing to cover the rest of him was hiding the black veins on his neck. He turned to her,

"It's well below freezing out here, do you want to jacket?"

"Didn't you say I'm not actually here?"

"Well, kind of. Your mind and soul are, so you can still feel cold, and people can see you if I will it so. Let me put it this way, you're a puppet with a mind of your own, and I've let go of most of the strings. If you want a jacket and boots, I can give you such, same way I took all of your weapons, which are still lying next to your unconscious body at home. See? As I promised. Now you know some things about my powers. But I do want to know what you already figured out about me because no doubt you have spoken to my former friends."

Kaylee noticed a jacket and scarf had found themselves on her, and as little as she liked it, thought it best not to complain since he wasn't hiding the fact he could probably destroy her at any second.

"You have the power of the peridot, that much is evident from your abilities and the glowing green streaks in your hair. You also have the power of elasticity in your limbs, likely from a genetic mutation, meaning that power is a little more like the X-Men, with mutants over straight _magic_."

"Never thought about it like that," Dorian bit his thumb, and Kaylee instantly noticed his other hand was in his hoodie, fidgeting with what was probably the disguised form of his scythe, "7309."

"Huh?" No matter how many possibilities her analytical power thought of, there was seemingly no reason for him to say such an obscure number. What was 7309 supposed to mean? Was he just weird and sprouted random things? No... this was something much more sinister and somehow connected to his powers.

He looked down at her curiously, looking towards the moon rising, peaking through the mountains. The stars were already visible, and they were stunning. If she weren't standing right next to someone who wanted to murder her and her friends, she would have let herself relax, but that whole mass murderer thing and cryptic numbers really ruins the moment.

"You underestimate me, Kaylee. Did you know that when a stone wielder comes into their powers properly, given time, they can be granted _unlimited_ magic, the only restriction being powers of other stones?" Kaylee blanched at what he was implying that he was much more deadly than she'd imagined, "Kelly, my other half, was lucky. He was given the more passive powers and was spared from having the weight of borderline omnipotence. He did get a fair share of our abilities, but I guess my curse just... clicked with the magic of a stone." He chuckled as they went down into a tavern, "But I went to many lengths to break this enchantment, fighting to the bitter end from the moment I realized what had happened, so I grew stronger." He sat down at a corner table, which had the best viewpoint of everything, and sat Kaylee down across from him. She noticed how abnormally quiet it had become when they entered.

Dorian smiled to the people, but she could tell he was revealing his true nature to these poor folks. From what she had gathered, he was capable of at least pretending to be friendly, but the better description for his docile state was "soulless, a little creepy, and fundamentally wrong."

To her surprise, he didn't order or even get a menu. The food and drink were brought straight to him, and then the server made a break for it.

Now, there were two options over 5% as to how this was possible. Either Dorian had spoken in some minds, or he had some sort of routine and ate the same thing. But it was no secret that even the huge guys in the corner—some of which put Psychic Jared to shame and seemed perfectly capable of ripping someone Dorian's size in half without breaking a sweat—were dead terrified of this crazy bastard.

Dorian ate his food quietly. It wasn't much, just the same fish that most of the other people had. It wasn't anything fancy like the fear would suggest, and the drink didn't seem to be anything more than water with a lemon on it. He used the lemon on the fish and ate. He didn't even look all that frightening. If she was seeing a picture of him with no context, she would think he was just a guy with intriguing hair. But being here somewhat in person made it clear the aura of malice and pure wrongness that was being around him.

Perhaps that was the thing that unnerved her the most about Dorian. For how normal he looked and acted at a glance, he clearly knew how to command respect and instill fear. Or maybe it was how, according to Alexa and her brother, he could go from zero to murderous in a matter of seconds.

Another essential thing to find out was his reason for striking now. Yes, he had gotten lucky with one of the sources of his annoyance right at his door, and he snapped. But was this a one time "fuck it, I'm gonna kill you all," kind of snap, and any docility was a facade? Or was it that he only ever struck after a new round of losing his shit? That would explain why he was so calm and okay with telling her his plans now when that could really screw him over later. Of course, she also hadn't even mentioned Gina or Roxas' poisoning, both of which she was positive he was involved in. Would he be so open with distinct schemes?

With Gina, she could tell the revival had been to cause tensions to rise drastically until eventually, someone, probably Joselyn, disemboweled her. With what she's been through, Kaylee couldn't quite say she'd blame Joselyn if this happened. Still, the consequences that would inevitably follow would be disastrous, and potentially destroy her relationship with Psychic Jared.

As for Roxas being poisoned, she had to admit it was a smart move on Dorian's part. Even without his powers, Roxas was a skillful fighter, and with his abilities, he was invincible in pretty much every sense. However, he was young, and his biggest weakness was trust in his family and friends, who she suspected could easily be controlled for a few moments by Dorian, just long enough to totally screw Roxas over.

However, the comment Dorian made earlier suggested that Kelly had been the one with the power to control others, and Dorian got forcefields and the other abilities associated with the term "psychic." But he had also mentioned getting stronger...

She had to see for herself how Dorian killed and what set him off. She could tell he liked to analyze people, but was that actually required to kill them?

"Can I get a drink from the bar?" He looked up,

"Aren't you a little young?"

"Drinking age on Blight was seventeen, so that's basically the accepted age on Alynthi, seeing as Zoe was probably drinking before she could walk, and that's a bad example." She wasn't actually planning to drink alcohol, but she had to get a moment distanced from Dorian, so she could throw some people under the bus to see how he reacted.

But she realized that bringing up Zoe was somehow a screw-up when Dorian brightened, "Kelly's girl? I assume the eldest. It doesn't seem like him to let his child drink so young, he always drank sparingly in our teen years, preferring coffee over all else after damaging his adrenal gland."

Well, that was some intriguing information about the dead mage which she hadn't known before. But the look in Dorian's eyes made her wonder if he knew Kelly had died years ago. More importantly, she didn't know how he would react to the news if he didn't realize it. He had been willing to call Harrison and Amelia "former friends," but she could tell there was something about Kelly that rendered Dorian unable to hate him.

"Yeah, Zoe's the oldest. Eden's the middle child. Joselyn's the youngest. I don't know many details, but Zoe's drinking seems to be the fault of trauma, and someone called Millie."

"Fireheart, Tigris, and Anije e Iku."

Mention of that unusual title for Joselyn brought momentary pause. The only reason she hadn't gone for the drink was the fact she felt herself forced to sit by a now very much invested Dorian. She was still ready for him to pounce but unfortunately knew there wasn't much she could do unless she could somehow earn enough of his trust to talk him into letting her come in person instead of as a weird spirit.

"Anije e Iku. How can someone tell that's who Joselyn used to be? She's addressed herself as such, but I haven't heard it before."

"Anyone who's sensed Iku's power can sense when she's resided in someone. But for it to happen, you must feel her magic outside of a vessel, or if you are that vessel."

"And when have you felt Iku's power?"

"Twice, _long_ before Joselyn was born."

"What doesn't exactly answer my question."

Dorian put a finger to his lips, "I can't tell you all my secrets, because then life is boring. I've been giving you hints, and Amelia might remember the first time. The second time... the last person I saw then was Alexa, the night her spark ignited."

Kaylee grew morbidly curious of what Dorian could have possibly done to traumatize the child he kidnapped, yet have her so passionate to find and help him—but she also wasn't to Kaylee's knowledge Dorian's mindless servant. Then again, morbid curiosity was the main thing she felt around this man. As creepy and dangerous as he was, she couldn't deny he was interesting. Not the weirdest phenomenon of personality that she'd ever encountered, but most likely in the top three.

He started asking questions about the Carpenter girls, but Kelly was still a touchy subject since she wasn't entirely sure he knew. She suspected there was a deep love there than not even the curse could corrupt, and she didn't want to risk severing his one tie to sanity. Making him snap for a test was one thing, but destroying his last fragment of hope might unleash something infinitely more dangerous if he lost a reason to even pretend he gave a damn for anyone except Kelly.

Trying to gauge his reactions for even a hint of him understanding Kelly was dead was like she imagined trying to figure if a friend had had _that_ talk because you didn't want to burst their bubble, but also wanted a feel for what you could and couldn't say. He might have been just screwing with her, because his responses were short and not all too helpful, mostly interested in what she was saying about Zoe, Eden, and Joselyn. Because it was part of their bargain, she was forced to tell him this information, and she hated that fact.

"And Kelly?"

Shit. Dorian didn't know. Though, judging by how nervous he suddenly became, he at least suspected what had happened. She instantly realized after a flash of vulnerability from him that he knew Kelly was dead but hadn't been officially told, so he was clinging to hope that it wasn't true.

"He... died three years ago. During the Tragedy." She looked up almost nervously and noticed his grip over her was gone. It was almost as though he was telling her to go get that drink so he could have a moment alone to process this information.

She shook herself as she walked to the bar for some water, glad to have some tangibility. This newfound emotional distress would help see what his limit was before going murderous.

Fortunately, she didn't need to try hard, because one of the men grabbed her arm—not threateningly, she could tell. Otherwise, she would have beaten the guy into a pulp herself.

"Hey, why are you with Dorian? He's nuts, you need to get out while you can."

"I know," she whispered, "I'm trying to help my friend." Technically the truth, because Dorian's love of Kelly might cause him to go after the Carpenter girls and their kids. Though, Kaylee was still trying to figure out whether Felix would prefer to be kidnapped by a psycho in love with his grandfather, or stay with his fiancé and her mother. The fact she had to ponder that for even a second was worrisome. But if she could get to know Dorian, she could find out if Felix was in any danger.

The guy once again tried to convince her to run, and she wanted to tell him she was physically incapable of doing that. But all she had to do was raise her voice, demanding this man leave her alone, and she had caught Dorian's attention. She mentally apologized to everyone in this tavern as Dorian's smile grew demented in every way, to the point it sent a shiver up her spine.

The man she was talking to took a couple steps back, but Dorian didn't move an inch. All he did was raise a hand as though he wasn't going to do anything. His terrifying smile vanished.

"W-What are you gonna do?" The tavern owner asked, looking as though he was about to or already had peed himself, and he looked towards Dorian's potential target.

"I'm not going to do anything." Was Dorian's reply and Kaylee saw his sclera and irises became black, and his pupils turquoise. And then the biggest wolf Kaylee had ever imagined came tearing through the wall. The wolf had matted black fur and blood-red eyes, and it was the size of a muscular shire horse.

_Did Dorian command that thing?!_

Dorian started laughing maniacally as the wolf bit the head off of its target and then started beating the shit out of everyone in a fifteen-foot radius. He took Kaylee's hand, no longer laughing, and left the tavern as it burst into flames and collapsed in on itself. Now he just chuckled,

"Bummer. That's gonna take a while to rebuild. They need to learn not to anger me or bother my guests." He looked up and smiled as the snow started becoming a storm. Seeing as she hadn't so much as suspected he had some other insane ability like that, she wasn't entirely sure if the storm was his doing or not. Kagami's power is controlling the elements, not directly weather, so it was possible.

"Did you do that?" She asked, unsure of whether she was asking about the storm or the wolf.

He turned to her, "The storm? I wiped the mind of a snow queen and turned her into a Darkling, so she only answers to me and keeps things nice and cold here. As for the wolf, that was my doing. Remember what I said about Iku? The power granted to me by Iku was to control anything but never be controlled myself. Too bad the curse only counts as an influence, and I haven't mastered the controlling of magical humanoid things all too well. I need to have a direct link with someone, such as a stone wielder if I am to control them."

Kaylee glared darkly, "You mean like removing the memory of a suicide attempt from my brother? What's the matter with you?!"

"So many things. But yes, exactly, though all that does at the moment is allow me to give your brother confidence boosts and make sure he doesn't pull that again, the link isn't too strong right now."

"And I'm guessing you have the same influence over Alexa?"

"Surprisingly, no. I would be perfectly happy if Alexa had died back then, but seeing as she's a skilled assassin now, she could be useful. Or maybe I don't want to deal with the spawn of my tormentor, you have no way of knowing. But if she dies, I did it."

They entered his home, and he poured some unusual white-blue drink for himself, and some cocoa for Kaylee. She had watched his every movement and knew he hadn't done anything to her drink.

"What are you drinking?" She asked, gesturing to the strange concoction. He held it up,

"Uh... a soul and a ton of chemicals. Yes, one can consume souls, and it gives you the powers of that person. It's how Iku got stronger within Joselyn, and Joselyn has actually kept the physical skills she gained, none of the magic. Still, she can use any tool, and could probably dominate even you in a fight."

"I doubt that."

"Ah, humble, are you? She's eaten millions of souls. Of course, at the time, she thought it was for her own survival, not the Enchantress she didn't know was inside her. Once she realized Iku existed, she stopped."

A part of Kaylee wanted to spar with Joselyn now and see if it was a challenge.

"Where did you get the souls? Do they have to be stored?"

"Depends. But I usually get the souls from villains who I found irksome because you have no idea how many of them will come looking for me for recruitment. I send them to my basement, and that takes care of it. See, Kaylee, if I wanted to kill you and gain all your fighting skills, I'd send you to my basement, and that would be that."

That was unnerving, but she also wanted to know what he kept down there that could separate souls from their bodies. She assumed the lever was the key. However, how many souls had he already consumed, because that could be another reason he seemed so much deadlier.

"How many souls?" She asked, and he shrugged,

"Not many. I have hundreds of thousands, but I usually only eat them while experimenting with them. See, I spent enough time with Harrison to have an interest in science. I've made countless enhancements to my scythe over the years and testing what chemicals enhance the powers of the soul. I've actually found mixing magic and science can create all sorts of fun things."

"That sounds dangerous without proper testing in a lab."

"I'm a villain who lives alone in a mountain and for the last fifteen years had my memory a jumbled mess where I couldn't remember the one I love most, what do you expect from me?"

"So, you _do_ understand that you're insane?"

"Well, insane people don't realize what they're doing is crazy. I am fully aware what I'm doing is fucking nuts, so logic dictates it can't be that bad."

Kaylee didn't have a response to that, but she noticed his voice had cracked as one would when they were gonna cry. She hadn't seen his reaction to Kelly's death, so maybe this was it, he would react now that they were alone.

"Are you..."

"I'm fine." He stood up, looking at that thick book she had noticed earlier, "He's really gone. And it's my own damn fault." He turned to her, and she saw his eyes were swirling more than usual, "But that's fine. If I am really so evil as to accidentally inadvertently kill him, I might as well always be the villain." He wiped his eyes, "You should probably go before people worry."

"Kelly was the one you love, but how could you possibly be involved in a death you didn't even—" she coughed as he sprayed her in the face with something, and she smelled it, her nose crinkling a little in both disgust and confusion, "Is that axe body spray?"

"Yes, the purest form of torture. Before you ask, the only reason that I know this is from the experiments I've conducted in my basement. But no more questions, it's time for you to go!" He snapped his fingers, and Kaylee shot awake in her own body.

She found herself in her room, and saw her brother hug her,

"I'm glad you're okay. You collapsed. Everyone was worried you got your soul snatched or something."

Kaylee rubbed her head, looking at him, as though looking for any physical sign that Dorian was doing something to him. If she didn't know better, someone giving him a confidence boost would be a good thing, but Dorian was going to abuse this. He was actively trying to piss her off, and that was a death sentence if he wasn't so careful. She'd have to find a way to train with Freya or someone to get past that so she could still fight him.

She cursed herself for not trying to ask about Gina or Roxas, but then again, she didn't expect an answer about that. She looked to Jared, "How's Roxas?" Jared shrunk down, sighing,

"Not good. Not dying, we managed to stabilize him. But he's in a lot of pain. The poison was a ground-up Phoenix eye, so it's excruciating for him right now. Harrison's working on an antidote, and I've been sitting with you. Kaylee, what happened?"

She didn't want to tell him about her _deal_ with Dorian, but she had no qualms with telling him some things. Either he was under Dorian's control and already knew she knew, or this was new information for the family, "Dorian wanted to talk to me."

"Dorian?!" Jared's eyes widened, grabbing her shoulders with terror in his eyes, "Did he hurt you?!"

"Hurt me? No. A tavern full of people, using the most massive wolf I have ever seen just because some people talked to me? Yes." Jared was hugging her,

"Kaylee, don't fight him, he's insane!"

"I've spent the last couple hours with him, I'm pretty sure I figured that out already. And he's in love with Kelly, and only now processed that he's dead."

Jared nodded to himself, "Which means he probably wasn't the one to poison Roxas."

"Or turn that on his head, and he now wants to destroy the rest of the family too." Jared shrugged,

"I suppose you're right." He sighed, "Well, it's not like Zoe's going to leave her son's side, and Eli's watching Aelin. Danielle's powers are uncontrollable, so Dorian going after her would be a suicide mission. But..."

Kaylee jumped out of bed and threw on her leathers, "There's nothing to stop him from going after Felix!"

OoOoO

Felix had been learning some spells with Hatsune when the alarm bells went off. Both of them looked to each other in panic and ran down the stairs, looking for the cause. Typically it's wise to flee from danger, but this might be the chance to prove that Felix could take care of himself if he was the one to handle an intruder.

But he didn't find one. What he found was so much worse.

There was blood everywhere since clearly there had been a struggle. But in the center of it all as Valeria, who was distinctly lacking a head. It looked as though her body was used as a weapon against guards, seeing as bones were out of place. There were also unusual teeth marks on the body.

Kyra and Amaya both came in, gasping at the sight. Hatsune pointed to the wall behind him,

"G-Guys..."

"Speak when spoken to!" Amaya snapped but did turn, also gasping.

There, written in blood, was a messy message.

_The world is mine._

Felix's eyes widened as he turned to Kyra, who just smiled, not grieving in the slightest. She whispered in his ear,

"Want to update our bargain to keeping Amaya distracted instead of mother? Or are you ready to put up with her on your own?" Felix was unable to respond, having been grabbed by Amaya.

"Servant! Take Felix to his room to protect him from intruders. Sister, go with them, I know you can't fight all too well anyway."

Kyra nodded, "That's true." She smirked over at the body, and Felix felt his blood run cold. He looked to Hatsune, whose eyes were like dinner plates.

"Who do you think did this?" Hatsune asked, shuddering. Kyra chuckled,

"Does it matter? Mother's dead, and now Amaya is going to be even worse. Besides, worst case you get kidnapped."

"Speaking of which, you rather lack in kidnapping attempts to get me out of here," Felix replied, and Kyra shrugged,

"You have your aunt. Don't worry. Though I have no reason to do that now, not only will it make your life worse, but our bargain was terminated when Mother died." Felix looked at his palm and saw the tattoo was gone.

"I don't want to do it again," Felix said, "Valeria is dead, and it's not like you can stop Amaya anyway. Let's just hope this goes smoothly until Kaylee can come to save me."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Confrontation**

Eden was petrified, looking down at Amhar. He knew the truth. What to do...

She squeaked a bit and noticed one of Amhar's eyes was Kahu's gold. But both irises, no matter the color, held a childlike innocence Eden remembered seeing in herself years ago. Wearing vibrant colors singing and skipping down the streets of Paris as she imagined a reunion with her big sister.

She flinched at the memory of long ago, back when she had been interested in the idea of kids.

Amhar looked up at her, confused, and held up the paper. She pried him off and sat him down, "O-Okay, Amhar, I have a meeting. I'll be back, and we'll talk about this. Just stay here." He smiled a little, but it was noticeably more strained, as his mother ran out of the Torre and to Liana.

To say Eden was pissed was an understatement. Where had he gotten that page? Who had given it to him? If he stole it from someone, that was one thing, but then her anger would be directed at him, and with his power he was clearly growing into, that could be a disaster. And there was a reason Zoe had sent her away, to avoid a situation exactly like this.

More importantly, she was terrified, having no idea what to say. A truth she pleaded would never be revealed was out, she had no warnings, and now she had no clue how to confront it without breaking the kid, which could really bite her and her family in the ass.

"Liana!"

Liana looked up from where she was getting up from a meeting, "Hey, Eddie! I just got done negotiating trade with Galowen. Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, it is... Liana, we need to talk. Now." She pulled the Queen into an alcove, "Amhar came to me, somehow he found a book of some sort that showed him the truth. He knows!"

"A book? Jared's copy of the Book of Prophecies. For the kid's sake, I'm not going to mention that to Jared. But he knows and... what? What can I do about that?"

"Well, see, I gave him up for a reason. What am I supposed to say? I mean, honestly, if I couldn't come to you about these kinds of things, I'd tell him I wish I'd aborted him when I had the chance."

Liana tensed, "Alright, let's _not_ say that to the tiny son of Kahu." She put her hand under her chin in thought, "But we still want your point across. How did he take the news?"

"He hugged me and called me Mom. Please note that he doesn't talk, so his actually saying words shows how much shit I'm in." Eden was getting increasingly frantic, looking around, half expecting to see her son peaking out and overhearing this.

Liana hummed to herself as she came up with a solution, "Okay, how about you tell him there is a reason you never acknowledged him as your son. Your girlfriend is his caretaker, right? So the best thing to do in this situation with a child is to omit, but also be honest. Tell him the truth about how he came to be, and point out you were like nineteen, and unlike your sister, you weren't ready for kids that young, but kept him around to still be part of the family. See where it goes from there, but remember not to be too harsh." She squeezed Eden's hand, "Good luck."

Eden sucked in a breath as she went back to the Torre, and was alarmed to see Amhar was not in her room. Her eyes widened, and she raced through the tower, asking anyone she came across if they had come across him.

She eventually found him in the delivery room. She rushed to grab him but saw something unbelievable.

Amhar's eyes were glowing white-gold, and he had both his small hands on the laboring woman's stomach. Eden avoided this room due to her own PTSD of nearly going into cardiac arrest due to the pain of her own childbirth, but this woman—and if she was in the Torre for delivery, meant it was extremely high risk—was calm, even happy.

And soon, a screaming little boy was brought into the world.

Amenity stared at Amhar in amazement, "That shouldn't be..."

Amhar looked up with sad eyes, and he caught a glimpse of his stunned mother as she was pulled away by Amenity.

"You do understand what he just did, right?"

"No, I don't get involved with deliveries."

"That woman was dying from eclampsia. Your son walked in right as we thought there was nothing that could be done, the child was stillborn."

"You're telling me Amhar can revive the dead?" Eden shook herself, remembering being brought back by Vita. It made sense why Amhar would inherit that power, but she only ever imagined his father as evil and cruel, so she was shocked Amhar could inherit such pure magic.

"If not that, then extreme healing. I'm not a fool, Eden Imelda. I know who his father is, and I know you weren't exactly consenting. But your boy is extraordinary, and likes of which I haven't seen in many millennia."

"Vita said he had conceived Amhar in hopes of him being able to take down Iku, something that would require the six stone wielders."

"Or something of equal power." Amenity led her through the garden with a smile, picking a rose and holding it up, "Be careful with him, for such a gift is as delicate as a single pale rose, and who knows what would happen if he summoned his thorns. People could hurt him for this precious gift."

"I gave him up," Eden replied, "I was hoping he would never learn I'm his mother. I was perfectly content with him thinking a stone wielder and Blackwell witch were his parents."

"Well, now he knows. I was originally going to offer to train him alongside you, but clearly, you're not comfortable with that."

"I'm not. But... Amenity... if he can heal so easily, I assume he could also learn how to un-heal."

Amenity suddenly looked much older, revealing how old she really was, and her wrinkles became more defined, "Your son has the power to rattle the stars, but it is his choice whether to do it for good or evil. He needs a hand to hold, to guide him down the right path, which won't happen if everyone only sees him for who his father is."

"Hana and one of the Jareds—I don't care which—can do that. I need to tell him the truth."

"Why are you terrified of him?" Eden turned to her mentor, who was sitting down on a bench. Amenity watched her with calculating grey eyes,

"I'm not. I'm afraid of losing my temper and saying something I'll regret. I'm not ready for this."

Amenity chuckled, "And you never will be. No matter how far you come in recovery, you will never be ready to tell Amhar the truth. Do you want me to sit with you while you explain?"

"No." Eden found herself shocked to say, "This is something I need to do alone."

She walked up the tower, stomach in so many knots she felt like she was going to throw up, and saw Amhar in another room, helping more people,

"You know, kiddo, you can't just come in and steal my job." Eden chuckled a little at the bashful look on his face. He ran up to and hugged her, and she sighed, "Amhar, I want to take you somewhere, and I'm going to explain everything, okay?" Amhar looked up and nodded, and Eden shifted into Tenshi, carrying him—not really wanting him to figure out his own form change just yet—and bringing him to Vita's castle, the place so many lifechanging things had happened.

All things considered, the place was still doing relatively well for having one of the towers blown off and having been abandoned for three years. Tenshi winced when she found herself in the throne room and saw the marks in the wall from where Zoe had been chained up and tortured.

"Mom?" Amhar's voice was raspy from lack of use, and Eden suspected that would be the only word he said for a while. She hesitated, looking down at him as she brought him into the resurrection chambers, and recalled being told this was the place she had been revived from death from the Blind Eternities.

"Amhar, let me see that paper, I need to know how much you already know." Amhar held it up to her, and she read it over. He only knew about Vita's idea that crashed and burned, and how he tried someone else besides Eden but ended up going back to Eden. He didn't know about the fact that his own mother had wanted him dead for a long time and sometimes still wished he hadn't been born.

"Okay. So I assume you understand that your father was trying to do something good in defeating Iku, but was misguided in his methods. He took advantage of my amnesiac and compliant state to conceive you, and only when I was almost due did I come back to myself. Amhar, I was nineteen, I wasn't ready for kids, and you caught me extremely off guard."

"You didn't want me." She was shocked to hear him actually talking. He had a maturity in his eyes, unbefitting both his physical age and his literal age.

"No. I didn't. And the process of having you want not pleasant and left me even more broken and confused than before. But, regardless, you are my son, and who better to take you to than my sister and Dad. I did not anticipate Hana would take you as her own, but I'm not complaining."

Amhar was quiet, looking over the alter, running his hands along it in fascination, and Eden could tell his magic was attracted to it. She remembered when she and Zoe were on the quest to save Eli, and they had just recently gotten their powers. That sparkle in Amhar's eyes right now was just like Zoe's.

Eden actually heard a giggle escape her as she remembered a toddler Felix using a golden shovel twice his size as a weapon, after blackmailing Dausi into helping him join the adventure.

For a brief moment, Eden gasped when she saw Felix in Amhar, instead of any of the other oddities she had seen in this boy.

Amhar looked up, "If you could go back, would you?" She knew what he meant. And she knew to lie wasn't an option with him.

"If I'm honest, I know I would give it all back for a chance to start over a rewrite an ending or two. But not because there is anything wrong with you as a person, Amhar. I know there is nothing wrong with your personality that makes me unable to be in your life the way you want me to. I hope you can understand, I just can't be the mother you want of me."

Once again, there was silence between them. The only sounds were the faint wind outside, and the sound of the bottom of her dusty-rose gown dragging on the undusted ground.

"I know."

Those two words had Eden snapping back to her son's face from where she had been anxiously looking at the ground. Amhar was looking at a faded mural on the wall of Vita and Iku.

"All this time, I couldn't speak, too afraid of being rejected and never knowing why." He looked to her, "I'm not an idiot like the psychic believes me to be on the basis my age means stupidity. I saw the looks people gave me, how they would pull Zoe to the side and talk worriedly with her. I remember Jared being disgusted at the idea of having me as a child, which I suppose instilled my fears." Eden was frozen as he walked up to her. Such a young voice, but he seemed to have everything figured out already,

"So, you understand now?"

"I do. I didn't go to you expected you to embrace me in your arms and call me son. But I wanted to know why you refused to acknowledge what I am to you, but still brought me to your family when you could have left me on Innistrad."

"Even if I did leave you on Innistrad, you would have been brought to the family by Sam, who knew. So I might as well not look like an asshole, and bring you there myself." She put a hand on his shoulder, "So you're okay with the fact I..."

"I'd be ungrateful to Hana and the decent Jared if I wasn't okay with it. I highly doubt I'll be able to speak around psychic, though."

It made sense for Amhar's mutism to change from complete muteness to selective, but it was a start. She noticed him coughing a little,

"This place is the worst nightmare of many, including those without lungs of steel, do you want some tea? Then you should be on your way back to Hana."

"Okay, Eden."

Eden felt as though an enormous weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

OoOoO

Amaya didn't seek him out that night. Felix wondered if she and Kyra were debating my future and threats against me.

There were sentries outside his bedroom when he woke up. According to them, Amaya and Kyra were already holed up in the study. Without anything better to do, since Hatsune had to help the other servants with the preparation for Amaya's coronation, he headed out to take a walk down the garden paths.

Only his steps sounded in the halls as he passed guard after guard, armed to the teeth and trying their best not to gawk at him. Not one tried to talk to him. Even the servants scurried past him as though he wasn't there at all.

He was looking forward to returning to Zariya with Kaylee, so his wings could be one step closer to fixed. After getting kidnapped months ago while out flying, he wasn't allowed to use the Pegase anymore. He wanted to fly, to feel the wind in his hair. And he enjoyed seeing his Aunt Eden, smiling with the playful Queen.

Such silence. Too much silence.

Even if it wasn't flying, he needed to get out of this palace for more time than just with Kaylee. He needed to _do_ something.

Felix was about to turn down the hall that led to the study, determined to ask Amaya if there was _any_ task he might perform, even helping the servants, ready to beg her, when the study doors flung open, and the Sardothien sisters emerged. Both were heavily armed.

"Going so soon?" He asked, plastering on a smile. Amaya's expression was grim, and her eyes widened upon seeing him,

"What are you doing out of your room?" She shook it off, "There's trouble on the western end of the mountain, I have to go."

"Can I come with you?" He noticed they were walking towards his room, but right now, he was more focused on trying to leave.

Amaya paused before replying, "I'm sorry," she reached for him, and Felix stepped out of her grip, "It's too dangerous."

"I know how to hide. Please—take me with you."

"I won't risk anyone getting their hands on you." Felix thought about it, deciding he could easily wait until they were gone and follow— "Don't even think about it." His attention snapped to her face as she growled, "Don't even try to come after us."

"I can fight, and I have my magic. I'm the guy who was able to throw a direct blast from Kahu back at him. If anything, I'm more powerful than you!"

Amaya just shook her head, letting her wings emerge as she crossed the room to the door, but he had no plans to back down, blurting, "There will always be some threat, whether as your forced fiancé or as the son of Eli and Zoe Sommers. You know that. I know you do. According to you, there will always be some conflict or enemy or _something_ keeping me here. But you know what, Amaya, I think you're making it all up to keep me here as your prisoner."

Amaya stopped suddenly in her tracks, raven hair concealing her eyes as she clenched her fists, "You can barely sleep through the night."

"That's because I heard my little brother got poisoned, and I can't even leave your clutches to visit him! How would you feel if you were worlds away from home, couldn't get out, and you heard Kyra was in agony and could die at any moment!"

"If you want out so badly," she said calmly, "Have the sentries take you on a walk through the gardens, or go pick wildflowers just outside the palace."

Felix splayed his arms in exasperation, "I don't want to go on a picnic, walk through those damned gardens, or pick fucking wildflowers! I want to do something. Just because I can't fly doesn't mean I'm helpless. So take me with you."

"You got kidnapped."

Felix was shaking now, "I could have saved myself, but spending time with my life on the line was so much more enjoyable than one more second with you—" he gasped as Amaya slapped him. He probably deserved it, but that didn't make what he was saying any less accurate.

"Even if I risked it, your useless wings render your presence more a liability than anything. So you are going to stay here and be safe, maybe help plan our wedding if you want something to do."

It was like being hit with stones—so hard he could feel himself cracking. But he lifted his chin, standing tall, and growled, "I'm coming along whether you want me to or not. If you really love me, you will let me go."

"No, you aren't coming. Because I love you, I need to acknowledge you're vulnerable when you will not." She stormed out the door, and Felix went to follow her but slammed into the wall as his door ceased working.

Felix staggered back, trying to reorder his mind around the fact Amaya had enough power to downright fuse the door to the wall, rendering it part of the wall. And he could see that around his room was a wind-shield, which would mean he couldn't even jump. Sure, he could break that quickly, or destroy the wall, but the implications of what this meant made him begin shaking.

She'd locked him in.

Breathing became difficult. Felix knew he was trapped in this damn palace—and wasn't that a sentence, like _Beauty and the Beast_ in reverse where that beast was concerned.

He backed away from the wall-door, his steps too light, too fast, and slammed into the vanity. And then blinding light pounded down and rose up from beneath, devouring and roaring and shredding.

It was all he could do to keep from screaming, to keep from shattering into pieces as he sank to the floor, pulling his knees to his chest and crying as his wings wrapped around him like a blanket.

He didn't realize through mounting hysteria that his powers had started acting of their own accord, and now he was floating in a cocoon of light and fire and ice and wind.

Someone was shouting his name from far away—Hatsune, maybe? He honestly didn't know.

But two hands reached through that power wrapped around him. Slender, strong hands gripping him under the shoulders. One of those hands moved to his knees, the other to his back. Then he was being pulled out of the cocoon and into this distinctly male stranger's arms.

"Take care of him." Kyra? "Whether he becomes a Void or not."

"Tell your sister that she's very, _very_ lucky to have not been here right now. The guards will have one hell of a headache when they wake up, but they're alive. Much more mercy than I would normally have, but consider it a token of my gratitude for your service to me." This man's voice was unfamiliar, but it somehow soothed him and sent shivers up his spine at the same time. Void? Kyra was working with this man?

But he didn't really care about that right now as he dully saw avian-like wings on this mystery person's back. They were snowy white but scorched a bit black and red around the edges, so they looked really cool. Felix had to admit in the scraps of aware mind he had that he was a little jealous of those wings since his own were just brown and black with a bit of red at the tips.

As he slowly came back to reality, he found nothing mattered more to him right than the idea this stranger was going to take him away from here. And... "Hati?"

The man looked down at him, "Hati?" He placed a hand on Felix's forehead, smiling kindly, "It's okay, just sleep."

Unable to fight back, Felix found himself gently lulled to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: The Voids**

Felix woke to sunlight and open space—nothing but clear sky and snow-capped mountains around him.

And the mystery stranger lounging in an armchair across from the couch where Felix was sprawled, his face solemn. It was then he realized he was in a mountain home, with a balcony that gave him that view which put even his tower's balcony to shame.

He swallowed, and the stranger whipped towards him. No kindness in his eyes. Nothing but unending, icy rage.

But he blinked, and it was gone, replaced by relief and exhaustion.

And pale sunlight was apparent on the homey wooden floors... dawn. It was dawn. He didn't want to think about how long he had been unconscious in a stranger's home.

"What happened?" He asked, voice hoarse. As if he'd been screaming.

"You _were_ screaming," he replied, "You managed to scare the shit out of everyone. Oh, I'm Dorian, I know your grandparents."

"Which side of the family?"

"Don't know your maternal grandmother, but I know the other three. Kelly and I were _very_ close." Felix brightened, because if his grandpa trusted this man, then he was safe. And now it made sense why Dorian would come to save him. Though he did wonder why he had never heard of him before. But...

"Do I have to go back? I want to see my parents again, but they might..."

"Oh, don't worry. I let it slip to your mother what's been really happening with you. Since Valeria isn't around anymore to drug you when family visits—you're welcome—that's happening, and I feel like you don't want to see that."

"Wait, _you're_ the one who murdered Valeria brutally!?"

"No, I sent Luci to do it."

"Luci?"

"My giant dire wolf."

"Dire wolf?"

"Did you not see what Luci did? Did that not look dire to you? But anyway, you don't have to go back unless you want to."

Felix made himself ignore the fact he was staring at the man who had gruesomely murdered his almost mother-in-law, "I have nowhere to go right now." It was both a question and a plea.

Dorian waved a hand, letting his wings out, letting Felix get jealous, "Stay here for however long you want. Stay forever, if you want, and become one of my Voids."

"Void?" He vaguely remembered Kyra mentioning it.

"Irrelevant right now."

Felix, for right now, decided to accept that answer, "I—I need to go back at some point. I want to see my parents again and Hatsune."

"Say the word, and it's done."

"I'm not going back," Felix said meekly, "Not until things are figured out. Maybe I'm a coward for not wanting to be there, but..."

Dorian grabbed a mug of hot tea and handed it to him, "Drink it."

Felix took the mug, letting its warmth soak into his stiff fingers. Dorian watched him as he took a sip, and then went back to brewing something in a small cauldron on his stove. He took another sip—peppermint.

When the mug was half-finished, Felix fished for something, anything, to keep the silence at bay. "Your wings... they're beautiful."

Dorian turned, blushing a little, "Thanks. This isn't their normal state, but I can change it, so I did. Yours are lovely too." He took the thing off the cauldron and put it in a bottle, "You've been going to Amenity to fix your wings?"

"Y-Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I recognize her magical signature. She's one of the best healers in the multiverse, but there are some things even she cannot fix..." he bowed his head, "You're lucky that it will just take time."

"What did you need to be healed?" Dorian bowed his head, pulling down the collar of his shirt to reveal black veins leading to his heart,

"A curse than runs through my veins, destroying my mind. But..." he laughed hollowly, "Maybe me losing myself was a good thing. After all, if I was a sane man, I wouldn't have forced your grandfather to leave me. We could have been happy together, but your mother and aunts wouldn't exist."

Felix gasped as he was shown a memory, and saw his grandfather looking up at Dorian with loving eyes before they locked lips.

"Huh, Pops was bisexual. Learn something new every day," Felix couldn't say he was surprised, because something about his maternal grandfather had always had that vibe, but he was confused as to why his grandfather's ex-boyfriend would be helping him. Fortunately, he was powerful enough to recognize that it was a real memory. He stood up once he finished his drink, "Thank you for the drink. But why are you helping me?"

Dorian smiled softly, "I know what it's like to be forced into a position you don't want to be in." He looked down at Felix's dead wings, "I can heal those if you want."

Felix brightened visibly, grateful to this man already for getting him out of the palace, but then he narrowed his eyes, "But you said Amenity would need to take time."

"Yeah, Amenity would, but that's because she doesn't use the darker arts like I do. Besides, if she says no to using riskier methods to get faster results, you're asking the wrong person."

Even though he wanted to jump on this opportunity as fast as possible, first, he needed to be sure, "Do you have any references of others you've healed?"

"Um... none who are around right now." He looked around, walking out of the room, before coming back, "Oh, wait, I've got references from this one glove I found on my bathroom floor. I'm not kidding. That's actually terrifying. I literally don't know whose this is. Somebody might be living in my house watching me—it's wet."

Felix giggled, "You're definitely Pops' boyfriend."

"Ex. I made him leave me, right before he got banished to Earth, go figure." He shrugged, "Anyway, are you going to accept my offer."

Even if Felix was a little too trusting, he wasn't stupid, "What's the catch?"

"You have to be one of my Voids, which basically means we have a connection and occasionally do jobs for me. In exchange, you get one hell of an upgrade." He opened his hand, and Felix saw a glowing form in Dorian's palm in his shape, flying, "But if you betray me," he clenched his fist and the figure's wings vanished, and it fell to the ground and turned to mist, "Say goodbye to those wings of yours."

"Void... that won't get in the way of living a life with my family and Hatsune, right?"

"As a Void, those you care for will be in no danger from me." He then smirked a little, grabbing Felix and diving out the window and into the sky, where there were still some stars out since the sun was barely above the horizon. It should be freezing up here, but Felix found himself unbothered as he relished the feeling of the wind in his hair. "Will you accept? This is your last chance to go back."

_Go back? No way, not even worth considering. I've got nothing to lose if he's really so special to Pops._

"Dorian, I accept. Just make the tattoo easy to hide."

"Oh, Felix, this deal doesn't require that." Dorian purred, luring Felix into a sense of security, "But since you've agreed." His eyes lit up and took a hint of turquoise. Felix was unaware his own eyes were entirely turquoise with black swirls at the moment, as he screamed, his wings coming to life and spreading wide.

And then he was falling.

He felt very content as he felt the wind blowing against him, through his hair, and beneath his wings. He felt tears in his eyes as he saw them flapping in a way they hadn't in three years. Once tattered and torn, now they were even better than before, in perfect condition.

He looked down and saw the mountains below him, "We're... flying."

Dorian appeared next to him, grinning, "_You're_ flying."

Felix giggled and whooped with mad delight as he raced across the dawning sky, not noticing Dorian slow and smirk evilly.

"Thanks, Gem," Dorian whispered to the sky lovingly, even if there was malice there too, "For teaching me how to be good with people."

OoOoO

Quantic Jared took a couple samples of blood from Amhar, taken aback by the silver color it was, like quicksilver. He was shocked, really, that not only was Amhar talking a little, but the truth of the parent also had gone well. Hana sure saw it as a relief.

He looked at the blood, deciding to shake it, and it lit up. Amhar looked up at it, "Glowstick?"

"Yeah, I guess so." He looked down at it, "Amhar, are you sure you're okay with trying this?" When they learned from Eden that Amhar had inherited the power to revive the dead, they thought that maybe he would be able to heal Roxas of the poison in his system.

Amhar nodded, unhooking himself from the other machines he had been attached to while running additional tests. He bounced up and waited for Jared to be ready to go, hugging his torso, which brought a smile to the young man's face as they walked to Roxas' room, where he was writing on the bed, whimpering. Eli was sitting next to him, holding him in his arms as he cried.

"Daddy, it hurts, please make it stop."

"I know it hurts, honey," Eli soothed, "Jared and Harry are doing everything they can to help you." He looked up, "Jared, thank god, whatcha got there?"

"Amhar's blood. We're trying to see if his blood has healing properties too." Eli looked at the blood and to Roxas,

"Sweetheart, do you want to try that?" Roxas looked up through half-lidded eyes, touching his father's hand, nodding. So Jared walked over and gently poured the substance into Roxas's mouth. The young boy coughed as he slowly swallowed, but he did relax before falling asleep.

Eli looked up, "I'll let you know if his fever breaks. Poisoning from the phoenix eye means that magic may not heal him, but we'll see. At least it's eased his pain. Hopefully, we'll find a solution that doesn't involve sucking Amhar dry."

"Right." Jared sighed, disappointed it hadn't worked, and left, seeing Amhar running around with the fairies around him. Kaylee appeared next to him,

"Jared, Felix is gone." She said in a panic, "Zoe's off screaming at Amaya and probably murdering her. Frankly, seeing as I was told she locked Felix in his room, and now he got stolen, I needed to be held back by Hatsune. So, Jared, I need you to tell me where Dorian lives since obviously he's the one who kidnapped Felix."

"Kaylee, no!" Jared insisted, "Do you not remember than Dorian can destroy people?"

"I remember, and I also remember I can beat him."

"No, Kaylee, you can't. If he was going to fight without magic? Sure, but he's strong. I've been asking Harrison and Amelia, and they call him the apex predator." But Kaylee was clearly not listening, holding his shoulders,

"Jared, who knows what he could be doing to Felix."

Jared sighed, relenting at the desperate look in her eyes, "Fine. Dorian's on Zhisfire."

"Thank you." She hugged him, "I'll be back."

Jared already knew this was a terrible idea and had no idea what possessed him to tell her. He already knew she was done for, and realized how badly he'd messed up and raced faster than should be possible after her, running across the water and barely noticing the water turn to solid metallic hydrogen under his feet. He jumped into the air as she hopped into her ship, wings erupted out of his back in a white avian rainfall since he hadn't bothered to change them back from the snowy owl form they had taken while saving himself from Dorian.

Kaylee was almost off Alynthi, but he didn't care, fully ready to chase after her. He felt himself shift into his Fae form, feeling actually like he was worth something, was powerful, entering the Lanes Between and feeling no pain. He could see worlds and stars in space with no fear of dying. But he was more focused on his sister, diving after her, just in time to see something he did not believe as the ship Kaylee was in exploded.

"Kaylee!" He was looking around in the exploded debris for her and was shocked to see Felix flying down as well—actually flying. He was fine, maybe Dorian hadn't kidnapped him after all.

Felix was the one to find Kaylee, and she was not in good condition, burned up but also struggling to breathe in the Lanes Between unprotected.

Felix pulled her close and rushed down to Alynthi, and Jared was shaking as he wondered if he had been the one to make the ship explode, accidentally using his powers and turning something into something else.

"Grim!" He called, and Grim appeared, looking confused,

"Okay, so what are we doing in the Lanes Between?"

"Is it possible for me to use my powers and cause a ship to blow up?"

"Yeah, but the same can be said for pretty much all of the stone wielders, why?"

Jared paled, leaving the council member in the dust, making sure to check on Kaylee, instantly hating himself, thinking he was the one to blow up the ship.

When he landed, Amhar was working to heal her, the burns already healing, but she was still not in good shape. Felix was carrying her bridal style, keeping her covered with his wings since her clothes had burned away.

Aelin came running out, "Felix! You're here! And your wings!"

"I know." Felix replied simply, "Come on, even if her burns are healed, who knows what she inhaled." He carried her limp and unconscious body to Harrison, and Jared waited an hour for a verdict when his basically adopted father came out.

"She'll live. Right now, I'm to get the swelling in her brain to go down, so she's unconscious and will be for a while since she's in a drug-induced coma just until her brain recovers. But I can guarantee that unless someone sabotages, she will be okay."

"I-If Amhar hadn't healed her," he looked a the floor, "Would she still be..."

"Can't say, I didn't see what state she was in then. But I'm actually glad Amhar didn't try to use magic on her brain, who knows what that would have caused."

Jared sighed, knowing Kaylee wasn't going to be happy with having someone use magic to heal her, but she had been on the brink, and frankly, he would rather she live than respect her wishes.

"She doesn't like having magic used on her, so no more magic unless her life depends on it."

"Wasn't planning to." Harrison sent Jared a worried look, "Kid, are you okay? Listen, this isn't your fault."

"How can you say that?" He asked through tears, "You built that ship, so you of all people should know there is no other explanation! What, are you saying that _Dorian_ came and ruined the ship? He clearly didn't kidnap Felix, so he has no reason to!"

He ran off, and into Alexa's startled arms, hyperventilating.

"I-It's my fault!" He gasped out, hugging her and trying to calm himself. He relaxed when she sat down with him, running her hands through his hair,

"Shh, it's okay, just relax, and everything will be okay."

Everything went black.

...

Dorian walked over to his adopted daughter as the young stone wielder in her arms seemed to lose all the fire in him. His eyes lost focus, and he didn't show any human reaction. He frowned because that wasn't supposed to be one of Alexandrina's—he finally remembered her name—powers.

"Well, I didn't think you could sedate him that fast." He mused, "Why did you call me here? I didn't even know you could do that." Alexandrina brightened, standing up with Jared, whose eyes were empty and unfocused, and the lighting made them look black.

"Dad, take a good look at Jared here."

"What about him? Hello~" he waved his hand in front of Jared's face, before looking to Alexandrina, "Is he okay? I mean, no, he's not, but why?"

"He's so cute like this!" She took both of Jared's limp hands and danced around with him, "He's perfect."

Dorian's eyes widened as he realized it was very possible his own insanity and inherited Blackwell crazy had rubbed off on her, "Hello. I did not expect this."

Alexandrina held Jared's face, pointing it at Dorian, "Dad, meet my project! In this state, Jared can only listen and react to me. So—what do you think?"

Dorian looked Jared up and down, a small smirk on his face, "Show me how far you've come in this little project."

She nodded, clearly delighted. "Jared, hand." Jared gave Alexandrina his hand, "Do a backflip." He did a backflip, "Now, say you love me with a smile."

Jared beamed, "I love you, Alexa!" Alexandrina hummed, leaning close,

"Now, kiss me."

Dorian's eyes widened as Jared passionately obeyed. He saw Alexandrina beam, practically giving Jared heart eyes, "Me too! I love you too, Jared!" She turned back to Dorian, "So, don't you agree my precious toy is adorable?

"Okay, how did you do that? I'm impressed, don't get me wrong, but how is this possible without the auto-kill kicking in? Hypnosis?"

"I've tried multiple tactics, subtly, but the best one I've discovered is to eradicate his most precious person, or it happens to him on its own with nightmares. He's vulnerable enough during that time Kaylee is gone, to run into my waiting, loving, arms."

"Ah, so _you're_ the reason the ship blew up. I was curious about that," Dorian's smirk was serpentine, "I have to say, I'm proud."

"That's not the best part!" Alexa was jumping up and down with glee, "Kaylee's near-death which he blames himself for was the final piece. Now, I am confident that even the slightest of hardships will cause him to turn weak, and he's more dependant on me than ever. Add in your influence, and he's putty in our hands."

"That certainly explains why this process is a whole lot faster than anticipated. Dragonfly, I am a very proud father right now. But tell me, how did Kaylee not catch on to this? She's an analytical prowess. Not to mention the others, who you've kept up the facade for."

"Kaylee is rarely around me, and all she ever sees is a woman who doesn't understand friendship and looks to Jared for help. I'm too good at keeping up the mask, sometimes I even fool myself. Besides, she's never around me for long enough for me to say much of anything. The others think I can be trusted since I saved Jared and Eli's lives during the Tragedy. But in truth, I just pulled Eli inside since I didn't want him luring out monsters, and as for Jared..." she giggled, "To answer your question, either I am too perfect, or they are too stupid. My bet's on both."

"Okay..." Even Dorian felt a little unnerved, "Why are you so obsessed with Jared? I mean, it helps my plans, so I'm not judging you, but I am curious."

"Reason? How about I ask you a question instead: do you need a reason to love someone? I love Jared! If you could have your loved one all to yourself, having them depend solely on you and follow your orders, anyone would have done the same!"

Dorian fought the urge to shake his head because he loved Kelly, and because of that wanted him to have his own free will—not that he would be complaining if that free will led to them uniting.

"I have to admit," Alexandrina continued, "that's part of the reason I went after Kaylee now since Felix isn't gone any more. She was really getting on my nerves, and anyone who could help Jared get over his mental state must be eliminated."

"Why do you love Jared?" Dorian crossed his arms, trying to see what made her love him, to see how this could benefit his plans.

"Well, actually because he was the first conscious guy to try being my friend. But I was attracted to him from the moment I first laid eyes on him and knew I wanted him to be mine. That face of his back then, all bloody and scared and helpless—was the face of an angel more precious and adorable than anything I had ever seen! Was that the face you saw in me that night years ago, because I understand now if it was." She sighed dreamily, "Since you attacked him, Jared turned into an extraordinarily passive and weak state whenever he is mentally or physically backed into a corner. And it was so amazing how it showed itself after you saved him from suicide—but the look on his face as he got ready to pull the trigger, oh, I get goosebumps from thinking about it! Since then, I've started to train my little puppy." She petted Jared's hair. "I don't know exactly why, but whenever he's in this puppet-like state, he does everything perfectly. No complaints, no reactions, like controlling a game avatar. The first time I saw it in that warehouse that night after you saved him, might have been the happiest moments of my entire life! It only lasted a short time, but as the nightmares grew worse, and then Kaylee collapsed when you called for her, it started lasting longer and longer. After this, I'm pretty sure I can switch it on and off whenever I'd like to."

She gasped as Dorian hugged her, "My girl, there's something I need you to do. After that, we can be together as a family."

"Anything for you, Dad."

It took every ounce of willpower Dorian had to not laugh.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Downward Spiral**

Kagami looked around Jared's bungalow, where the man in question was tearing through his study in search of the Book of Prophecies, "Where's Gina?"

"Out on the town," Jared replied, not even turning to look at her. Objects were flying around the room as Jared was now looking under the desk. Kagami didn't know what he was looking for but figured that if he was using his powers this way, it wasn't good. And maybe it was connected to what Amhar had said mere days ago.

"We need to keep her here. Amhar said—" That got Jared's attention, and he got up, using all his height to his advantage. Kagami never thought she could be scared of the man who she considered a brother. Still, the combined factor of his uncharacteristically tossed and spiked hair and the beginning of swirling in his eyes, highlighted with red, made her take a step back. Regardless, she would never get used to the fact he had short hair right now.

"Who cares what _Amhar_ said?!" He snarled, "He's a child." Kagami held her ground,

"So were we when we started."

"We were older than he is," Jared scoffed, turning away from her and now using telekinesis to take apart his desk, "Not like that did much good. Look at where we are now. Almost everyone we knew then is either dead or slingshot across the multiverse and probably hates us."

Kagami narrowed her eyes, hands on her hips, "You are aware that at least half of this crazy family wants Gina's head, right?"

"Yeah, but if Kelly didn't kill her, they won't either." That was a good point, she figured. She was still shocked to this day that the mage hadn't done unspeakable things to Gina—even if Gina was killed by Iku later, Kagami was always grateful to Kelly for that mercy—but that didn't make her any less worried.

...

Where was the damn book? Jared had left the thing unattended for a couple days, trying to help the others find the culprit who poisoned Roxas. Of all the kids physically thirteen and under, Roxas was probably the one he hated the least since he was the most level-headed when his curiosity didn't get the better of him. But now the fucking book was gone.

Amhar was his first thought for the culprit since Kahu's spawn knew about the book and had seemed to take an interest in it, but Amhar had an alibi with Zoe. So he assumed the culprit was whoever poisoned Roxas and blew up Kaylee's ship.

He had sent Gina out with some money, to ask Harrison—who thankfully was one of the few to not want Gina's head on a spike—to give her a ship so she could go out on the town for a bit, so he could tear apart the house, just in case he had forgotten to put it in his desk, and had left it somewhere.

But he should have known the moment he assured Kagami that Gina was fine that Joselyn would run in, eyes wide as though she was frightened.

"What is it, Joselyn?" Kagami asked worriedly, and Jared's hopes plummeted when his daughter had a spark of something unreadable in her eye as she said,

"It's Gina."

To brace himself for what was to come, Jared peaked into Joselyn's mind.

_"Finally, but Jared's not going to be happy. At least someone else did it before I snapped and did it. Jared would never forgive me."_

"What happened?" Jared asked, but he already had a pretty good idea of what had gone down. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice taunted him, saying Joselyn was the culprit of what he was about to see and knew he was going to read her mind.

Joselyn gestured for them to follow, not saying a word, and Kagami broke into a sprint after the girl, while Jared used magic to stabilize his leg and walked at a more comfortable pace. Camille appeared next to him,

"What is it? I felt distress from you." He sighed, having forgotten she could feel his emotions through their bond.

"I don't know, but I already know it's not going to be pretty." He looked down and saw his hand entwined with hers,

"Well, best to get it over with. Come on, before Kagami leaves us in the dust." Jared nodded, knowing that even if this was what he feared, it couldn't be visually that bad.

He was wrong. Very wrong.

As his mind tried to process what his eyes were seeing, he wasn't sure he could take it if Joselyn had done this. Then again, even when she had Iku in her, this wasn't anything like how she...

In the supply warehouse, there were five different stacks of boxes, each a different height. On those boxes was one of either Gina's legs or arms, with her severed head on the center stack, with her horrifically mutilated torso nailed to it, and it looked as though the skin had been peeled off slowly and in strips. There was an obscene amount of blood everywhere, and the smell of it all would be sickening to anyone who wasn't used to seeing large amounts of blood.

As the others arrived, Jared started invading the minds of everyone to find the culprit. But he came across nothing and almost screamed in frustration when he was quickly booted out of people's minds, no longer as powerful as he had once been, able to hold someone's mind like putty in his hands.

Kagami let out a bloodcurdling shriek as though _she_ was being murdered as she saw the disturbing sight. But Jared smirked a little because he had had enough foresight to do that drawing thing Kelly mentioned, so he was able to slip into the chain to see who had murdered her...

Only to become even more enraged when he saw Gina's attacker was smart, and the first thing they did was attack the eyes from behind. The thing to confuse him was when he forced himself into the attacker's head—which was hard to do since he hadn't seen a face—and found nothing except endless blackness and an unfamiliar screaming.

He was pulled out of it when he tasted blood in his mouth, meaning he shouldn't have pushed himself like that.

His mind began to wander. Harrison had inventions able to block psychic power, meaning he had sent Gina's killer a godsend of a weapon, even if it was unintentional. He was too trusting in the homicidal maniacs he called family—though, to Harrison's credit, his two spawns were the lesser of insane since Eli was a diplomat, and Camille was Jared's mate so he couldn't think ill of her.

Even without his powers, Jared was going to find out who did this to Gina. If it was Joselyn, he didn't know what he would do or react. But if it was anyone here and not an outside force, they were going to pay.

OoOoO

Eli walked into Hana's room, "Hey, Han, I need to talk to you about something." Hana turned from where she was playing with Ramsey,

"Ya?" He handed her some files and newspapers,

"I'm not accusing you of anything, but have you heard about this?" Hana read over the journals, saying she was a demon and a monster at her core and had bene horrifically slaughtering people and carving up their bodies. Three examples were shown in papers.

One victim's chest was slashed several times, and part of the stomach looked to have been mauled by a dog. When she looked harder at the marks, Hana found the wounds were made to a Roman numeral code, spelling out her name.

The second victim was a girl who couldn't have been older than thirteen, with blood coming from her skull, saying blunt trauma was probably the cause of death. Her eyes were also crushed in further post-mortem mutilation.

The third victim, a Fae woman who appeared to be in her early thirties, was the worst, for it seemed the culprit had the goal of finding out if a human can die of an internal hemorrhage without rupturing any organs. Looking at the photos, the killer had beaten their victim's left arm without breaking the skin. When this did not work, the death was caused by loss of blood, with her right leg and left arm cut off. The right leg was discovered in the bathtub later. The left-arm was never recovered, and her right arm and left leg splayed out in a way that resembled the hands of a clock.

Hana felt sick, and looked up at Eli, then thought to the scene of the crime with Gina, "Eli, I swear, I didn't do this." She grew increasingly frantic, "I hadn't even known—" Eli pressed a finger to her lips,

"I'm not mad, because I know you didn't do this. You're my best friend, Han, you were there for me when nobody else was. I'm telling you about this because it came to my attention the other day, and with the way that Gina was killed... the killer is going after you, trying to break apart the stone wielders."

Hana nodded, smiling a little, "Thanks for believing in me, El."

"Thanks for keeping me alive during our time with Douglas." Eli replied, "But for your own safety, I've gotten you a room in Galowen, okay? Psychic and Kagami are going to be on a rampage until they find the killer, and I don't want these false accusations against you getting you murdered."

Hana hugged Eli, "I'll pack a bag. But I'm gonna go clear my name, not wait around for Jared and Ami to calm down. But I didn't hate Gina all that much, she certainly didn't deserve," she shuddered, "I don't even want to think about that."

"Agreed. Besides, you've got an alibi in Amhar, right? The time of the murder seemed to be an hour or two ago, and the kid was with you. Speaking of which, where is he now?"

"Said he wanted to practice magic with Aelin and Adrien." Eli nodded, crossing his arms since Adrien and Aelin had been practicing with their contradicting powers to grow stronger. Adrien, with the power of the wind and air, could choke out Aelin and her flames, so she was working on being able to use her magic regardless. Amhar did need the practice.

Eli felt a jolt of rage down his mating bond with Zoe. She had left in the night without explanation, and he called to her, "Zoe?"

_"That bitch has been drugging Felix when we visit! She locked him up, and he got taken!"_ Eli clenched his fists, rage coursing through him. Then he softened,

"Felix is back home, his wings are fixed too. Maybe a healer took him?"

_"Well, good. Please go check on Felix, I need to pulverize some bitches."_

"Go ahead, but bring the girl, Hatsune, here safely. She seems to be a close friend of Felix." He felt an agreement from his wife and then went to check on Felix, who was sitting bedside with Kaylee. Quantic Jared was sitting there too, but he didn't seem to be fully there, which was to be expected. Eli placed a hand on his son's shoulder,

Felix looked up, "Oh, hey, Dad." Eli softened, sitting down,

"Come on, son, fly with me." Felix looked at his wings, brightening a bit with a sparkle in his eyes that Eli hadn't seen in years. It had been so hard, spending so long without his eldest son around. He still remembered the day he had seen Zoe and Adrien in disguises to hide their celebrity status, pushing a little baby in a stroller. Had that really only been ten years ago? Now that baby boy had grown, both with sped up aging and his own experiences, into a fine young man.

They stepped out of Jared and Kaylee's home—where Kaylee was being kept since there wasn't a designated hospital on Alynthi. Eli floated in the air, holding his hand out to his son, who spread his wings wide and took flight.

Eli fumbled a bit since he didn't use his powers like this all too often, and knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself if he was falling, but this was a relaxing time with his son as he found out who had healed his wings. Eli owed that person many thanks.

Felix laughed, taking Eli's hand and pulling him upward towards the clouds, "Come on, Dad!" That smile, which had been lost for so long.

Once they were far above, Eli looked down and could see so much from up here, and the wind in his brown and silver hair was surprisingly appealing. He turned to Felix,

"Felix, who healed your wings?" Felix grinned,

"Pops' ex-boyfriend."

"Wait, what?" Eli gasped, as a memory, flew back at him.

_"Unca Dori! Unca Dori! Unca Dori!" Two-year-old Eli ran into the arms of a young man standing next to Kelly._

"Dorian..." Eli rubbed his head before thinking back and remembering.

Dorian Nanami. The one who attacked Quantic Jared was... the same man who he considered an uncle in his toddler years?

Eli turned to Felix with wide eyes, but this time when he was looking at him, he saw pure turquoise eyes with black swirls in place of the usual blue-violet. It was only there for a split second, but Eli knew his son had made a horrible mistake in letting himself be healed by Dorian.

"Felix, by any chance, did he ask _anything_ in return for healing you?"

"Yeah, to run errands for him occasionally, something about Void. It seems like a pretty sweet deal in exchange for my wings and freedom back." Eli took Felix's hand,

"Felix... Dorian might have been Kelly's ex, but... he's not a good person. Not anymore, at least. You've made a huge mistake." Felix's eyes widened,

"Dad... how would you know that?"

"Did you see Jared's legs? They're robotic, just like the rest of his lower half. Dorian did that."

"Well, it's because he's cursed." Felix replied, "I want to help him, Dad." Eli sighed,

"I know you do, Fe." He cupped Felix's cheek, "But you need to understand this deal is going to bite us all in the ass. I'm sorry, but I would rather you be unable to fly instead of a slave to a madman. We can take you to Amenity to fix your wings the right way, but you have to release your end of the deal."

Felix had tears in his eyes, looking away, "I can't. I can't betray him." Eli was unsure if he meant betrayal meant death, or he was literally incapable, but he sighed, hugging Felix and slowly lowering them both to the ground,

"We'll find a way, and fix your wings without any crazy mages involved, okay, Fe?" Felix nodded meekly,

"Kaylee's gonna punch me when she finds out I made a deal with the devil."

"At least you know that." Eli guided him back home, "I'll talk to Cam and your mother whenever she gets back. But for right now, I'm gonna keep you with Grandpa, okay? He's going to look you over and see what exactly Dorian did and if he can start controlling you at the drop of a hat." Eli saw fear in Felix's eyes as the boy obediently followed.

OoOoO

Amhar laughed with glee, sparring with Aelin and Adrien, trying to work on mastering his powers. He wasn't great with offensive tactics, but he found teleporting around and tiring them worked remarkably well. But he actually wanted to learn to fight, especially after what he heard happened to Ms. Gina, and the growing darkness he saw around not only Elaine and Psychic Jared. And for the first time since getting these eyes, he had seen Ms. Alexa, and the amount of black surrounding her was frightening. Was it because she was an assassin?

Trying to focus his powers, he managed to create a blade of... black? With who his parents were, that came as a surprise. Maybe he did have some of Iku's abilities? He decided that it didn't matter as the weapon protected him entirely from Aelin's flames, but he was fighting someone older than him, and another who was a former superhero.

Sometimes it was hard to tell Adrien used to run around a city in skintight leather, and Amhar hadn't even been alive for that. And after Dorian attacked and Adrien sent amnesiac Marinette away for her own safety, there was nobody who would tell him. Aunt Zoe knew, but she didn't often talk about it.

But right now, with Fae strength giving him the same enhanced agility, endurance, and speed as any Miraculous wielder, he was a force to be reckoned with. It was clear, Zoe—and by extent, Kelly—trained him. Long and messy blonde hair flowing around him, tousled by the wind he could command, he looked more like a teenager than the father of two kids, having lost one in a war. The only way Amhar could tell was the bags under his eyes, and those spring green eyes which reflected suffering beyond anything Amhar had known in his young life.

Amhar's eyes widened as he realized the blade in his hand, now charged with energy, had sent Adrien's mind into the past. Aelin knew this was all sparring, a game, and Amhar was young and inexperienced. But Adrien was looking at him in rage.

"Kahu..."

He wondered if he hadn't been told the truth by his mother mere days ago, would this have been how he found out who his father was?

Not that it mattered as Adrien bared his teeth, revealing elongated canines, and went for the kill, behaving more animal than Fae, summoning long claws instead of his natural fingernails. _Oh no._ He had forgotten Adrien could shapeshift.

As Adrien swiped down, he teleported a few steps away, too scared by the change in his surrogate uncle to speak. He tossed the blade away, where it ceased to exist. Aelin seemed to have realized what Adrien's PTSD had turned him into and stood between the former superhero and Amhar.

"Adrien! Snap out of it!" She pleaded, "This is Amhar, not Kahu. We're just sparring, and he's practicing with his powers, remember?"

Adrien blinked a few times, "Zoe?"

"Aelin. Zoe's my Mom, remember?" Amhar blinked. Had Adrien really gotten mentally sucked into the past? Or Adrien was back and was just noticing the resemblance Aelin shared to Zoe, including her eyes. She wasn't a carbon copy like Zoe was basically a female version of Kelly, sharing a decent amount of traits with her father, but Aelin could be mistaken for a younger Zoe.

At that moment, Adrien seemed to relax, but Amhar was still unsure, backing up when Adrien came closer because he could see a little blackness around him. He still didn't know what it meant, just that seeing as Psychic Jared was becoming increasingly angry and aggressive as the darkness around him grew, it couldn't be good.

It was a curse, not knowing what this power was. If Amhar knew, what happened next, fearing for his life, wouldn't have happened.

He shrunk back, raising his arms to brace himself for impact. But he heard something shoot out of the ground, and then a scream from Aelin. Amhar looked up nervously, and screamed himself, for black rocks in the shape of spikes with indigo veins had shot out of the ground and skewered Adrien through the abdomen. He coughed up blood, and Amhar instantly tried to make the rocks go away.

Aelin started running for help as Amhar still worked on that, and it took all his focus, because the more afraid he got, the farther it pushed into Adrien, widening the hole and blood staining the smooth black rocks. Amhar wanted to throw up and tried to calm himself down. He was supposed to be able to save lives, not take them!

Eventually, he shrunk the rocks enough to be able to get Adrien off it and immediately went about trying to heal him, ignoring all the blood and the organs and bones he could see. He could see Adrien was dangerously close to death, but Amhar knew he could revive the dead.

He held his small hands on both sides of Adrien, trying to push his healing power into him, but to no avail.

_"You can't undo the damage you've caused,"_ a dark voice whispered into his mind. He wondered who it was, fearing it was his dead father here to taunt him, but he didn't focus on that as Aelin brought the rest of the Sommers family, and it seemed Hugo and Catra had come too.

"What happened?" Camille asked Amhar calmly as Harrison worked with Eli and Amelia to get Adrien on a stretcher to get him to the lab to see if there was anything that could be done. Amhar felt a tiny flicker of hope because if Harrison could keep Quantic Jared alive after getting cut in half, he could heal this. That was what he prayed was true as he looked up at Camille with teary eyes. He saw her gasp quietly and wondered what had unnerved her, but Adrien could die, and it was all his fault.

"I-It's my fault. I didn't mean to, I'm sorry," he ran off, ignoring the screams of his family for him to wait, and he felt himself shift, something he hadn't known before he could do. All he knew was he needed to hide, to get away, too dangerous to be around his family until he knew what he was, what his eyes meant, and how to control his powers.

They probably hated him now. Adrien's breakdown was proof they all knew who his father was, and he feared that was all the adults had ever seen him as. It was certainly true with Psychic, who had only pretended to be the father to keep his enemy close.

Amhar gasped when the Book of Prophecies he had asked Roxas to steal from Jared, and he hugged it close, deciding to use it for answers.

_Where to go? Where can I go where nobody will hate me for my father?_

A portal opened before him, and Amhar froze where he was floating in the Lanes Between, wondering if this was a good idea. Well, he could sense his own power from the portal, so it couldn't be too bad, right? He went in and instantly found as though he was in water, where he frantically swam up, protecting the book as he went, and gasped for air, finding himself on a beach with dark grey sand, and the water was almost black, reflecting the nighttime sky.

Crawling out of the water, only to find himself completely dry, Amhar saw a house and ran towards it, only to find the place empty, looking lived in, but it hadn't for a while. In the corner of what he could only assume was a living room, he saw two cradles for infants, and when he went up the stairs, he noticed there was a familiarity to this place.

This was where Zoe, Eli, and Jared had stayed when they were banished to the Dark Realm, where Zoe gave birth to Roxas and Aelin. That meant he was in the Dark Realm. Well... at least if he was here, nobody would find him. After all, his mother had died trying to find her way here, so that meant getting here wasn't all too easy.

But he knew that just in case it was more accessible now, he couldn't stay here. But he got a look at himself in the cracked mirror. His hair was entirely turquoise, but now both of his eyes were molten gold. His attire was completely different, no longer a casual t-shirt and jeans.

He wore a black jacket with silver cords through the sleeves and open shoulders, and strings were attached to each lapel and tied in front to keep the garment closed. The sleeves fit somewhat like a loose shirt and extending slightly past the wrist. He wore a midnight blue hakama with hints of indigo at the bottom, which included the small board on the lower back. He sported a silver belt over his other garments.

He tried to shift back but realized he didn't know how. But at least the darker colors—not including the gold eyes and bright turquoise hair—would help him blend in.

He left the house and clutched the large book to his small chest, deciding to look around, but it seemed the terrain was bending to his will, such as the thorns in the rotted away forest parting for him.

"Hello?" He asked meekly, seeing flowers that blossomed in the moonlight were growing under his feet, as though he was bringing them to life.

It was beautiful here, the softer shade of things revealed by starlight. There was a sense of belonging here that Amhar couldn't place.

He continued to walk until he came across what seemed to be a village with beings he hadn't seen before. Some of them looked human, others were not humanoid in the slightest. It took all of two seconds for some of them to notice him and brighten visibly. He shrunk down nervously,

"Um... hi?" He put a hand to his mouth when he realized he had been speaking a different language there that he had never heard before in his life.

The closest one, seemingly a woman, ran up to him, "Cosmo?"

"Amhar," he said meekly, "I-I'm n-new..." The female cupped his cheek,

"You don't know what we are, do you?" Amhar shook his head, relaxing a bit, "We are the Kikleon. What is your lineage?"

"Eden Imelda Carpenter and Kahu?" He cursed himself for being inaccurate about which of the two halves was his parent, but in his defense, most people just considered Kahu to be his father.

Everyone around them gasped and bowed. If Amhar could feel any more awkward, he would be, especially as they all started referring to him as "your highness" or "sire" or "my lord." Was this... this was Iku's former kingdom, wasn't it? This meant that, now that he thought about it, even if he had specified Vita, he was next in line for the throne.

He was pulled along by the female who had first approached him, and brought into a castle with thorns around it, "E-Excuse me, what's your name?"

"Oh, where are my manners, your majesty? I'm Raimdyr." They stopped in a bedroom, which looked like a mansion in and of itself, already being cleaned by servants. His eyes widened as it really sunk in that he was heir to the throne, and from what was happening around him, they were preparing for him to be king. He was physically seven years old! No way was he ready to be a monarch! Well... the Kikleon seemed to have lived without their ruler for countless years, and they were doing fine, so how bad could it be?

He already knew the second he thought it that the thought of "how bad could it be" was a huge mistake and now just his luck, he was going to be leading a war against an omnipotent demon or something along those lines.

He was brought from his thoughts—which involved an alarming amount of fire, blood, and explosions—when Raimdyr was holding to things in front of him.

"My lord, your swords." Amhar gazed up at the two massive swords, identical except one had a hilt of dark and another of light. Raimdyr held up the dark one, "This was Iku's, the sword of destruction with an ability said to kill a hundred warriors with one strike, while Vita's is the sword of life which was told to bring back a hundred with one blow. Vita's sword had a unique property in it that it can not harm or kill any living beings. However, it can cut and vanquish creatures from the realm of the dead. In the world of the living, its power lay in the fact it can resurrect the dead and heal the wounded." She handed the two weapons to Amhar, and they shrunk to a manageable size for him, where one was placed in a sheath, one at each hip.

"And now for your crown." Amhar cocked his head,

"Coronation?"

"Not unless you want, sire. The plan was a quiet ceremony and then addressing yourself as our king on a balcony." Amhar decided he liked that option better in favor of coronation and vows and such.

His eyes rested on the crown, which was closer to a circlet thankfully because he was pretty sure he would have tipped over if it was an actual big crown. It was shining silver with a moon opal colored in turquoise and indigo in the center.

He nervously took the crown and placed it on his head. It was a little too big for him, sitting crookedly in his hair, and he smiled a bit, following Raimdyr to the balcony, where the people—his people—were standing below.

"I..." his whole body trembled because he was scared out of his mind of being a monarch. But what would happen if he refused his apparent birthright? The Kikleon below all looked up at him with adoration and love, and suddenly, all that fear vanished, and Amhar felt he had finally found where he belonged. If Iku had been the Queen before him, they weren't going to fear him. Maybe they would even cherish his powers. "My name is Amhar Adaranth," he remembered seeing the surname on one of the tapestries in Vita's castle, so it stood to reason that the name was his actual surname instead of the stand-in Darbonne name he had been given, "And... I guess I'm king? Look, I can't promise anything about greatness, because I'm a child who doesn't know anything, but with your help and teaching, I promise I will try my hardest to do the best for my kingdom." He didn't know what he was going to say, but then was shocked to hear someone shout,

"Long live King Amhar!" The one shout turned into a chant, and Amhar felt himself blushing awkwardly, but he knew, deep down, that he had just found where he belonged.

OoOoO

"What happened?" Joselyn asked, seeing Adrien in stasis with a gaping hole in his torso, and she saw Psychic Jared was staring grimly, as though he already knew. Harrison sighed,

"Amhar developed another power, and Adrien just so happened to attack him after having a PTSD breakdown, so..."

"Amhar did this," Jared said, his voice abnormally monotone for the situation. Joselyn was a little worried about that but supposed that after seeing the horrifically mutilated corpse of his recently-resurrected friend, he was bound to be emotionally drained. She saw his eyes were swirling with multiple colors. Still, there was no denying the actual swirling, meaning he was getting sick—whether mentally or physically, she couldn't tell, because either could be possible at this point.

Alexa crossed her arms, looking down at Adrien, "Jared, Amhar's a kid with growing powers. You should remember when you first got your powers and had no control over them, and understand what the kid's going through. We can't blame him for this." Amelia nodded,

"Yeah, should we call Zoe and Eden to explain that Amhar's run off?"

Jared stared at them all, not emoting in the slightest, "Call Zoe, since she's closer to him. Eden doesn't give a damn about that boy, so why bother her with that?" At this point, Camille was worried too, and held Jared's hand reassuringly,

"Jared, are you okay?" It was clearly rhetorical, because with the events of today, no, Jared was clearly not okay. Joselyn understood that. But that didn't change the fact she was worried.

"I'm fine," Jared replied, "I'll be better when this mess is resolved. Come on, Cam, Joselyn, let's go find him."

All of Joselyn's red flags went up, but she still followed him, confident enough in her own abilities and mental shields to hold her own if necessary. But she saw Camille was nervous too.

"Something's wrong," Camille whispered to Joselyn as they got in a ship, "He's not letting me in down the bond, and he only does that if he's doing something, I'm not going to approve of." In response to that, Joselyn messaged Rhydian, telling him to take Roxas and any other injured he could get in the ship, and get the hell out of dodge.

Out of nowhere, Jared landed the ship on a barren landscape that Joselyn recognized. The place they had fought Kahu, Joselyn's spark ignited, and Jared and Camille's bond clicked.

"Get out," Jared said, his eyes closed, and Joselyn knew that whatever was going to happen, it wasn't good. Camille noticed that too, and they both refused.

"Tell us what's going on, Jared," Camille demanded with more anger than Joselyn had expected towards her fiancé.

Suddenly, they both screamed as Jared extended his hand and used telekinesis to launch them a decent thirty feet away before blowing up the ship. Then a semi-transparent chartreuse-colored force field appeared around Joselyn and Camille while Jared was on the outside.

Only then did he open his eyes, and they had slit pupils, while his irises were swirling, yet also a glowing black.

Camille started using her magic against the forcefield, only for a pulse to send her staggering back.

"Struggle all you want," Jared said, "But neither of you will be leaving this place until this is done."

Joselyn wasn't sure what hurt more. The realization of what Jared was going to do. Or the fact she had come home only to be _betrayed_ by the man she had considered as her father. She was so hurt, so livid, that she couldn't think of anything to say that would express that.

Camille had no such issue, and it was clear she had no plans to be sappy about this, and she glared, attempting once again to get free. She scoffed,

"This is a joke, right? If so, you've got a sick sense of humor, Jared."

"No, this isn't a joke. I'm doing what's best for us. I won't let them hurt either of you." Camille put her hands on her hips, her entire body trembling with what might have been sorrow or rage, Joselyn couldn't tell.

"Did it ever occur to you that this plan of yours will hurt us too? If you do this, I will never forgive you. Mate or not," she placed a hand on the forcefield, "I will kill you."

"I'm sorry you feel that way. But this is for the best." His wings came out, only now they were clearly corrupted, tainted by the urges he was planning to act upon.

Joselyn didn't know what happened next, as everything went black.

OoOoO

Quantic Jared sat down next to Kaylee's bedside, pouring himself some tea as if he did it every day, going through the motions like the hands upon a clock. As he drank the beverage, hoping Kaylee would soon recover enough that she could wake up, he mused that though his choice of drink felt right, a part of him knew it was wrong, as if another hand had moved him.

He didn't know why today of all days had him having a borderline existential crisis over his choice to drink tea, but why had he chosen it? It wasn't like he had a taste for this kind of tea, and it wasn't part of a script like acting in a play—out of character, but somehow not a shock. If he was putting this weird feeling in terms that would be understood, he felt like a software program caught inside an endless loop. Just bad code that kept repeating.

He wasn't even surprised, let alone felt any fear when he felt Dorian behind him. "Did you cause this?" He asked bitterly, knowing he didn't have to specify when his severely injured sister was lying on the bed right in front of him. "Or did I?"

"I did nothing," Dorian replied, "At least nothing to harm her. Whether you did it or not, I can't say, because I wasn't there. As for your situation, I can tell you understand what's happened to you, being turned into nothing except a pawn upon the board, and I've won against you."

"Controlling me or not," Jared turned to him, not wanting to give this man the satisfaction of seeing how helpless he felt upon getting confirmation of what he feared, "You won that first day in the mountains, and you know it."

Dorian shrugged, hands in the pockets of his jeans, "I suppose you're right, I've always been a step ahead. But I wouldn't be giving you enough credit if I didn't point out you were with me most of the way. Because of that, I'll give you a neat little tidbit that I played upon the Psychic's fears. For his mate and daughter's safety, he became the very thing he swore to destroy, and my power just grows from here. You've played your part, and now you have one final thing to do."

"Be a martyr?" Jared asked calmly, standing, "You'll never get away. The others will know what you've done." Dorian only laughed in response,

"Maybe, but seeing as you're going to die tonight, I don't see why that concerns you. And look outside," he gestured out the window, "The New Moon is tonight, meaning you won't have your little Hanyou's luck to help out." Dorian looked at the clock, and Jared stormed outside, mostly because he knew Dorian was going to follow him, and he didn't want that madman near his sister. He didn't fear death, but there was a terror at the idea of what Dorian could do to Kaylee while she was vulnerable.

He could almost see his remaining life flickering and humming, growing fainter as each painfully slow second passed. How long did he have left? Considering Dorian was here in person, he knew not to hope for more than five minutes tops. He looked down at the scar on his forearm in the shape of an X, meaning he was a living tracker. Dorian said Jared was going to die tonight, but did he mean that literally or figuratively?

He scoffed, before starting to laugh hollowly. Even to his own ears, the sound was unnerving. He knew Dorian was watching him as the laugh grew dangerously close to a sob, but he couldn't stop himself—it was all just too funny! The stone wielders able to destroy Kahu had been beaten from the inside. Dorian had been thorough in this, making sure rebuilding was next to impossible. Sixteen years of living alone in a mountain must have given him lots of time to go through countless schemes to see what worked.

The message of the stone wielders falling sent was like a closing door, denying access to hope for those in the multiverse who looked up to them as heroes. That was it. Dorian was going to win if he was honest about his progress. Or maybe the loss of their weakest member would make the rest of the team stronger, replace him with someone better. After all, Gizmo had been the original choice for the Amethyst.

He was pulled from his laughter when he felt a pulse of magic that he quickly recognized as that of his Other, and the ground cracked under him, but whether that was due to his own magic or the other Jared's he didn't know.

Jared's breath caught in his throat, making it hard to breathe, before realizing he was no longer in control of his body. Starting from the corners of his eyes, his vision was getting darker, until he felt himself drift into nothingness with open arms.

...

Dorian watched as the young man's eyes changed to pure turquoise with black swirls, losing everything that made him Jared Brock. Now, he had been reduced to an extension of Dorian, his puppet, his Void.

It still had Jared's memories and knowledge. And his utter lack of control over his body made him a much stronger fighter, and his brains added onto Dorian's abilities and influence.

He grinned, teleporting to his home mere seconds before Psychic Jared threw up a barrier around Alynthi to prevent anyone from leaving.

Despite himself, Dorian shed a tear as the turquoise strings came from his fingertips, attaching themselves to an illusion of the young man he currently controlling.

"A minute more..." he whispered, before casting his first command.


End file.
